David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin supports the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Dissolution) Bill, which is intended to transfer the functions and liabilities of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority to Dublin City Council. My party colleague and the representative for Dublin Central, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, has raised her concerns in some detail about the activities of the DDDA and the need to put in place mechanisms to ensure that what happened previously will not happen again. What is needed in the first instance is to ensure that there is both social and economic regeneration. For almost 30 years, since the Urban Renewal Act 1986, there has been regeneration in the docklands, but it has not improved the situation, livelihoods or quality of life of people in the Sheriff Street and North Wall areas. There are major problems in those areas, including anti-social behaviour, drug abuse, unemployment and a lack of educational attainment.

The Bill attempts to put in place an alternative structure for planning and development. We must try to get it right this time. This is the last-chance saloon for the docklands area. We have no wish to end up with what is probably the most affluent part of the country cheek by jowl with one of the most deprived and neglected. For this reason, I hope the Minister will look more carefully at the mechanisms being put in place.

The Minister is proposing a consultative council to take on board the wishes and advice of the local community, councillors, businesses and educational establishments. My concern is that this is effectively a replica of the existing council. It is called a consultative forum and it is no more than a forum. It is likely to end up as a talking shop without anybody paying attention to its recommendations, as happened previously. I know people who served on the council for the docklands for many years. They found it frustrating at times to make recommendations on how to ensure that social regeneration went hand in glove with the economic regeneration, but that did not happen. Social regeneration was always put on the long finger. All of the delivery was to take place in the future. Unfortunately, by the time the Celtic tiger economy came to an end, the delivery had not taken place and there was no systematic social regeneration.

I propose that the Minister take on board a suggestion to provide a new statutory oversight and implementation structure that would monitor and drive social and economic regeneration. This structure should be separate from Dublin City Council and NAMA but would liaise with them. It should have the function of ensuring that targets are met and the body should have teeth to ensure that the project is driven and that no part of it is neglected, as happened in the past. The body should ensure that all the commitments relate to local employment, apprenticeships and training and local housing.

Local housing has already been undermined by the planning applications. I cannot see where the social housing is going to materialise at the level intended. It appears to have been replaced by 950 units of student accommodation on the dock. That is not social housing and it should not be deemed as such. We must have the body I suggested. Moreover, I believe there must be an overall co-ordinator to ensure that this happens. A new structure is required. It is fine to have a broadly democratic structure representing certain stakeholder interests such as the consultative forum, but a consultative forum will not be in a position to ensure that we implement what is intended. The legislation fails in that regard. Many people will not care how the structure is formulated as long as it has teeth and can deliver the goods for the people in the area, as well as for the business people and developers. It should not just represent the more wealthy residents, which would be a concern. We must ensure this happens.

The critical element is to have an implementation strategy, but there is no such strategy under the current mechanism. I have tabled some amendments which I will discuss on Committee Stage. We support the Bill, but we have some reservations which we will deal with on Committee Stage.