David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It does no such thing. There is no new vision for local community development but a continuity of policy. Let us be honest, in the section there is a drift towards centralising community development into local government and putting it under Government control which was set in train by the previous Government. It started with the abolition of the community development projects which were subsumed with partnerships to become local development companies or whatever they are called at present. The previous Government dissolved the boards that comprised people who lived in communities and knew what the issues were. Those boards were dissolved and local accountability and responsibility was taken away from the very people who live in the communities. That was the first step taken to undermine the principle of community development and a bottom-up approach.

When the Minister came to power he could have reversed centralisation and stemmed the drift towards taking power away from communities. He could have given power back to communities, instead he has further centralised power. All he has done is allowed a process to continue and follow its course that was set in train, a long time ago, by the previous government. He has simply implemented Fianna Fáil policy on local community development.

I was a member of a community development project so the Minister may say I have a vested interest. The project is no more so I have no vested interest.