asked the Minister for the Environment if he will outline any plans he may have for the redevelopment of the 27-acre site at Custom House Quay in the north inner city of Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Custom House Quay (Dublin) Site.
5.
The Government recently decided to establish a working group, led by the Minister of State at my Department, to consider and report to the Government on how this site can best be developed to realise its value and, at the same time, achieve a satisfactory economic and social development. Pending consideration by the Government of the report of this group, I do not propose to comment further on possible plans for redevelopment of the site.
Is the Minister aware that this site is adjacent to the Sheriff Street area of Dublin's inner city where there is a huge concentration of population living under very overcrowded conditions? A recent survey carried out by the community council in that area established that over 60 per cent of the adult male population were unemployed. Is the Minister aware of the tremendous difficulties experienced by this community? Will the needs of that community be taken into account in the redevelopment proposals for the site which is adjacent to them — the needs being houses, workplaces and community places?
Earlier proposals for the redevelopment of the Custom House site envisaged a mixed development consisting of housing, industrial development, office development, hotel development and some recreational facilities. I have no doubt that the working group set up under the aegis of the Minister of State in my Department will have this in their minds when bringing their deliberations to a conclusion. I expect that this will be part of their discussion on the development of this site. As I said, I would not at this stage like to comment on what is likely to be in that report, but it would seem, since this was under consideration in earlier proposals for the site, that it would obviously be high in the minds of the working group when they come to consider all the possibilities of the site.
In view of the decades of neglect that this area has suffered, could the Minister indicate when he expects the results of the working group to be announced and when he expects to be in a position to make a decision on the acquisition and redevelopment of this site?
I do not think that the Deputy has quite taken in the reply which I gave. I said in it that the Minister for State and the working group are to consider and report to Government on how this site can best be developed to realise its value. In doing that, all considerations must be taken into account. Therefore, I could not put a time limit on them, but certainly would expect them to take into consideration the serious situation in that area of Dublin. I can assure the Deputy that there will be no delay on their part or on the part of the Minister of State in bringing forward this report. It will be part of the requirement of the working party that there is an urgency in having available this report dealing with the area. That would be uppermost in the mind of the Minister of State, and I can assure the Deputy that no undue delay will take place.
Deputy Gregory, a final supplementary question.
Is the Minister aware that a similar pattern of neglect in inner city areas in Britain resulted in serious rioting in those areas before the government took positive action there? Can he indicate if he will try to ensure that positive action is taken, in regard to this site at least, before the end of this year, to ensure that there is no pressure on people to react in a violent way on the streets as has happened in inner city areas of Britain in the absence of government response?
There is a positive Government response in relation to this site. I should hope that that will be seen as such and that no action will be contemplated, or indeed suggested, by any section of the community that would bring about a situation similar to that mentioned by the Deputy. It should be considered that what is being done is positive action, with a view to taking into account all the difficulties which the Deputy has outlined in that area.