Vol. 315 No. 1
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if during the interim period prior to the establishment of the inner city group, he will arrange for the nomination of a member of the staff at Dublin Corporation with responsibility for the co-ordination of the corporation's part of the proposed programme.
115.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if an inner city group has been formed as a result of the work of the interdepartmental committee on the inner city; and, if so, the name of the chairperson and other members, the people represented and the terms of reference.
116.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if it is intended to make a Minister responsible specifically for the Dublin inner city development as recently recommended in the Interdepartmental Report.
117.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development the formal mechanism to be established to ensure that the views of various inner city based community groups are communicated to the proposed inner city group recommended in the recent Interdepartmental Report.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 114, 115, 116 and 117 together. The inner city group is in the course of being established. It will be chaired by an officer of my Department and it will report to me as Minister with general responsibility for co-ordinating the activities of Departments and public agencies operating in the inner city.
The main functions of the group will be to further the work of the interdepartmental committee and to develop a programme of action by the various Departments and public agencies operating in the inner city area. It will be a matter for Dublin Corporation and not for me to nominate a member of their staff with responsibility for the co-ordination of their efforts in the inner city should this be necessary in the future. The group will be prepared to receive submissions from community interests and will welcome in particular suggestions on how greater employment could be created in the area.
118.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if his attention has been drawn to objections from the Department of Finance (details supplied) to the formation of the inner city group and the extent of the Government's commitment to implement the report's proposals.
119.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development the method by which movement of the least skilled work-force from the inner city to districts where suitable employment is likely to be found could be facilitated, as referred to in the Inter-departmental Report, and the location of the districts referred to.
120.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if he is aware that the principle of "Trial Community Consultations" referred to in Paragraph 44 of the Inter-departmental Report, with reference to the north city designated area, has not in fact been adhered to by Dublin Corporation and the formal channels envisaged to ensure the enforcement of this principle in the future.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 119 and 120 together. I am not aware of any objection by the Department of Finance to the formation of the inner city group. I am, of course, aware of the stance adopted by that Department's representative on the Inter-Departmental Committee on Dublin Inner City in relation to some of the proposals made by the committee.
While not formally committed to these proposals the Government see them as providing a basis to meet the complex economic and social problems in the inner city. Accordingly, they have made £1 million additional funds available in 1979 to the inner city group towards a programme to accelerate the pace of action in dealing with these problems.
I am not prepared to comment on specific proposals made by the inter-departmental committee in the absence of advice from the inner city group. As regards the Deputy's last question I am not aware of the degree of consultation which took place between Dublin Corporation and local community interests on the proposed re-development in the North City designated area and I am not prepared to comment on the remainder of this question in the absence of advice from the inner city group.
