Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support the Bill. In the context of any discussion on the DDDA, it is important to draw attention to the history of the docklands and its importance in the context of the evolution of the city. When the DDDA was established, the inner city of Dublin was practically a war zone. In 1983, Mr. Frank McDonald, the environment correspondent for The Irish Timesorganised the Dublin Crisis Conference to examine and discuss the landscape of inner city Dublin.

We can all talk about what went wrong with the DDDA but we must acknowledge that its establishment was hugely innovative at the time. The establishment of the authority brought enormous benefits to a very blighted part of the city centre. As the Minister of State pointed out, the docklands was a core part of Ireland's industrial landscape. Up until the 1960s, the docklands was a hugely significant part of the Irish economy. Dublin Port was thriving and was a focal point for Irish industry. However, the area suffered enormously during the 1950s and during the expansion of the economy in the 1960s, Dublin Port almost became redundant. The profile of the entire inner city during that period changed dramatically from one of high employment to high unemployment and the city's core began to be neglected.Unfortunately, it became very neglected. I agree with the Minister that the area has a rich cultural tradition that is unique in character and is reflected in music, literature and other art forms from those periods. Sometimes we are inclined to forget the role that the Dublin docklands played in the economic history of this country.

I agree that what happened to the DDDA was unfortunate. There were serious shortcomings and we have much to learn about special purpose vehicles and how they should be established, managed and overseen. However, I do not believe that the management of Dublin City Council, at the time that the Dublin Docklands Development Authority was established, was capable of dealing with the challenge that the docklands presented. It is unfortunate that the DDDA came to the conclusion we saw. Bad decisions were made and there was a lack of oversight. We must examine closely what went wrong, because there is an issue around the capacity of local government to deal with specific issues when they present particular challenges. For example, the Ballymun regeneration project was established to deal with a specific challenge in the Ballymun area. In fact, that project was, and still is, one of the largest, if not the largest, regeneration projects in Europe. There is a similar regeneration project in Limerick. I would not like the experience with the DDDA to convey the message that we should not develop specific vehicles to tackle specific challenges. It is important to acknowledge that we must have specific answers at specific times that are not necessarily forthcoming from the structures we have.

I am pleased that commitments are being made to the local communities. One of the positive things that emerged from the establishment of the DDDA was that commitment to community and to community representation, education, employment and the engagement of business with the local community. That must be preserved.

I am also happy, from a cultural perspective, that Dublin City Council will take over the liabilities and management of the Jeanie Johnston. It is great that this cultural heritage will not be lost in the transfer back to the council from the DDDA.

This legislation is necessary and timely. There is an interim board in place and we do not wish to reach a point where another interim board will have to be appointed if this legislation is not passed. However, it is important to maintain a serious commitment to the continuing development of the docklands. As has been said, a significant amount of land remains to be developed. The Minister said it amounts to 22 hectares. It is an important area of the city to be developed.

I believe we should revisit this matter after a 12-month period, perhaps, to examine how Dublin City Council is managing the transfer to it of the responsibilities of the DDDA. I would like to hear the views of the community, for example, on how it sees that transfer and how it has impacted on their lives. What happened with the Irish Glass Bottle site and the liabilities that were acquired by the DDDA demonstrate not that we should not have such special purpose vehicles but that we should manage them correctly. There should be proper governance procedures in place for these vehicles. Looking to the future, there is a role for special purpose vehicles and I hope this experience will not tarnish the need to have special measures to address special issues.