Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has received correspondence from Dublin Inner City Partnership concerning its exclusion from the board of the proposed Grangegorman Development Agency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9869/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Dáil Select Committee on Education and Science concluded Committee Stage of the Grangegorman Development Agency Bill on 16 December 2004. In February 2005 I received correspondence from the Dublin Inner City Partnership regarding its wish to be represented on the agency.

The purpose of this Bill is to establish an agency whose function, in the first instance, is to prepare a strategic planning scheme for the Grangegorman site. The plan must provide for the needs of the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Health Service Executive, and the Ministers for Education and Science and Health and Children. The Bill provides for wide ranging consultation with all the parties that may have an involvement in the site. This ranges from those who are directly concerned — local residents, DIT, Health Service Executive and Dublin City Council — to other parties whose future involvement may have a bearing on the site reaching its full potential such as the IDA and Dublin Bus. The Department of Transport will also have a major input because of the public transport requirements of the developed site.

As the Deputy will be aware, I have provided for an increase in the size of the agency from 11 to 15 members. I have increased the membership of DIT from one to two and provided for the appointment of an elected representative to the agency. One of the key elements of the Bill is the provision of consultation with, among others, the local community in the neighbourhood of Grangegorman. In order to strengthen this commitment I have made provision for the appointment of a local resident to the agency. I am currently examining the best method of selecting this appointee and will bring forward proposals on Report Stage of the Bill.

I am satisfied that adequate provision has been made for consultation with all relevant interested parties. To make provision for one such party above the interests of all others would be counter productive in the context of the development of the site.