Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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79. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will reconsider his decision not to include Dundalk in the city living initiative in budget 2017, in view of Brexit and that the Border areas, including Dundalk, require assistance to negate the effects of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31236/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Living City Initiative was enacted in the Finance Act 2013 and commenced on 5th May 2015. The Initiative was extended beyond the original planned pilot cities of Limerick and Waterford, to include the cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kilkenny. In line with my Department's commitment to evidence based policy-making, the inclusion of these additional four cities followed the completion of a comprehensive, independent ex-ante cost benefit analysis.

I announced a number of changes to the scheme in the Budget which aim to get the design of the Initiative right so that it can work in an effective manner.  Once this is achieved, it will then be possible to consider how, or if, the Initiative could be extended to other locations. The Deputy will be aware of a further commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government, to examine the introduction of a similar scheme to the "Living City Initiative" to regenerate town centres and villages throughout Ireland. It is important that the underpinning scheme is made more effective, as until that has been achieved, extension of eligibility for it to other towns would be largely meaningless.

The Deputy will also be aware of the measures I outlined in the Budget to get Ireland Brexit ready. These measures are listed on the infographic which is available at the following link www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2017/Documents/Getting_Ireland_Brexit_ready_infographic.pdf.