Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

With the greatest of respect to the Minister of State, I might as well tear up this response because there is absolutely nothing in it on development and particularly on River Bank Arts Centre. I am sure the Minister of State agrees that it makes far more sense to be able to have the full jigsaw, so to speak, happening at the same time. Meanwhile, there is €1 million unspent years after it was awarded, its value totally diminished from what €1 million could have provided at the time, and it is languishing without some more funding to top it up.

I accept Kildare County Council has been allocated significant moneys under the URDF. That is essentially about unlocking housing but we have to have amenities to support those who come to live in those houses. The infrastructure in Kildare has totally deteriorated because it is a commuter county and has been successful in building houses. I do appreciate that there is funding for the library. As the Minister of State says, funding could and should be provided by the Department of arts. I have called for a capital funding programme, similar to the sports capital programme, for arts facilities. That is really important. I want the Minister of State to bring the message back to the Minister that Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge is thriving for what it is, but we need far more investment in the cultural, educational and social future of those who use it. The public realm the Minister of State mentioned will not follow until all those elements come into place. What comes first? In my view, the building work on those three adjacent sites has to be completed and then we have the public realm and what comes after that. I thank the Acting Chair for his indulgence.