Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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132. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the membership of the Advisory Group on Town Centres First; the dates of meetings to date and planned; the way the membership of the group was selected; if minutes of the meetings of the group will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28564/21]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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133. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the membership of the Interdepartmental Group on Town Centres First; the section in each Department that is represented on the Group; the date of meetings held to date; the Cabinet committee the group reports to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28565/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 133 together.

Our towns and villages require specific policy supports to ensure that they continue to function as viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live and work, to raise families, to act as the service, cultural and recreational hub for the surrounding areas, and to facilitate social and community interaction. In this context, the Programme for Government (PFG) committed to the development of a Town Centre First (TCF) policy. With a view to giving effect to this commitment and the actions outlined in the PFG, a TCF Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) was established in November 2020 to consider the regeneration of our towns and villages. The IDG is jointly chaired by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD). The IDG has met three times since its inaugural meeting in November and will meet again later this week. The aim is that the IDG will provide recommendations for consideration by Government in June. It is envisaged that recommendations will cover the short, medium and longer-term out to 2040, to align with Project Ireland 2040. It would be premature for the IDG to report to any sub-committee pending further development and finalisation of their work.

The Departments represented on the IDG are attached in Appendix 1, with members having been nominated by the relevant Secretaries General and notified to DRCD in their capacity as secretariat to the group.

">Appendix A

In parallel with the IDG, a Town Centre First Advisory Group was also established to enable the experiences of a broader group of stakeholders to be brought to bear in informing the process of policy development, and to support the work of the IDG. The Group comprises individual representatives from a broad range of sectors to ensure effective and diverse representation with the capacity and experience to contribute in a meaningful way to the preparation and implementation of a practical TCF framework.

The Advisory Group has met twice to date and a further meeting is anticipated, following the next IDG scheduled later this week. The work of the Advisory Group has been advanced primarily through written submissions and bi-lateral meetings with the co-chairs of the IDG and also the chairs of three IDG working groups that were also established to further inform and underpin the work of the Advisory Group and the IDG. A list of the bodies represented on the Advisory Group is also attached in Appendix 1 and the minutes of the meetings of the Advisory Group are provided in Appendix 2.

">Appendix B

There is general consensus among all the groups that there is no one solution or issue that can or should be addressed in isolation but rather that a TCF framework should be holistic and capable of being tailored to address the individual needs, size and characteristics of a town. Until such time as this work is further progressed and measures developed and agreed, it would be premature to comment further on specific proposals being considered.