Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this question today. It is directed to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, who controls public expenditure in this country but who is also a Minister in the constituency this question is relevant to.

On many streets in Dublin, and particularly in Dublin's north inner city, we see dereliction and vacant buildings. Despite the brilliant effort of many groups to bring unity and energy to our communities, the reality is that dereliction sucks the spirit and life out of areas. Nowhere is this more true than at Aldborough House on Portland Row. Stepping back from the bleak hoarding and security sign on the wall, Aldborough House is an imposing and brooding presence. It serves no function or purpose and makes no contribution to the area. Historically, it is one of the most important Georgian buildings in the city and it is also really important culturally. It hosted the first ever theatre on the island of Ireland. It was also home to artists' studios for a period of time. Physically, it is really important because it is in an inner-city area where housing, childcare and artists' spaces are in really short supply.

Ironically, Aldborough House was in State hands for approximately a third of its life, between 1922 and the 1990s. An Post then sold it to the Irish Music Rights Organisation and it is now in private hands. While we see the State and Dublin City Council putting money into the building to secure the windows, this is far from enough. It is located just around the corner from Seán MacDermott Street and the location of the Magdalen laundry. Of course, there are now very exciting plans for the Magdalen laundry on Seán MacDermott involving the commemoration of all that took place there and in mother and baby homes across the country. However, to develop the Seán MacDermott Street mother and baby home while failing to do anything with this brooding presence on Portland Row would be a failure of ambition for Dublin's north inner city.

During the week, we saw the State investing money into Dowth Hall. It is fantastic that the State has purchased that building and other buildings across the country. The time is now right to buy Aldborough House on Portland Row. It is hard to underestimate the lift it would give to the communities of the north inner city, particularly those of Portland Row, Seán MacDermott Street and the area around the Five Lamps, for this building to be upgraded and opened. I am very conscious that there have been many campaigns over many years to get the State and Dublin City Council to buy this building and that, to date, there has been no progress. An Taisce, Róisín Lonergan, the Five Lamps Arts Festival and many others have been involved in those campaigns. We live at a time of incredible surpluses in our public finances. The key test of these times is the permanent impact of how we use this money. Nowhere would this impact be felt more than in the buying of this building and ensuring that it is available to the communities of the north inner city, whether as badly needed artists' space, housing or childcare. I appeal to the Government to seriously consider purchasing this building and putting in place an initiative to ensure it is of benefit to the communities of the inner city.