Bhí mé ag éisteacht leis an Aire agus é á rá go mba mhaith leis cúnamh a fháil ón taobh seo den Teach. Níos luaithe rinne sé tagairt don ghá a bhí le hairgead a chaitheamh ar thithe a choimeád in ord seachas tithe nua a thógáil agus tagaim go hiomlán leis sa mhéid sin agus cuirim i gcuimhne dó, ag Bardas Átha Cliath le déanaí, gur ritheadh rún a mhol mé féin go gcuirfimis in iúl don Aire go mbeadh roinnt mhaith airgid ag teastáil uainn díreach chun an gnó sin a dhéanamh. Agus tá súil agam, nuair a thiocfaidh an t-eolas sin os comhair na Roinne go mbeidh an tAire in ann a rá leis na Státseirbhísigh ansin go dtagann sé go hiomlán agus go ndúirt sé sa Teach go raibh gá mór leis an bpolasaí seo a chur i ngníomh, an t-airgead atá de dhíth ar Bhardas Atha Cliath a chur chucu ionas gur féidir leo cabhrú leis san obair atá idir lámha aige.
Níos luaithe rinne sé tagairt don phointe atá sroichte againn sa chathair anois, go bhfuil tithe ann agus nach bhfuil daoine againn le cur iontu. Tarlaíonn sé sin, mar a tharla sé i 1957 cheana féin — na daoine a mba cheart dóibh a bheith ag dul isteach sna tithe sin tá siad imithe thar sáile, daoine óga go mba cheart dóibh a bheith ag dul ag pósadh, go mba cheart dóibh a bheith ag iarraidh tithe sa chathair, níl siad anseo. Agus mar a dúirt mé, mar a tharla i 1957 nuair a bhí Rialtas den chineál céanna is atá againn anois i gcumhacht, tá tithe sa chathair seo anois nach bhfuil daoine ann lena gcur iontu. Tuigim go raibh an tAire, agus é a rá go raibh cúrsaí tithíochta go maith, go raibh sé ag tabhairt moladh do Bhardas Átha Cliath. Dá bhrí sin, ní féidir liomsa a dhéanamh amach ó thalamh an domhain cén fáth gur chuir sé an Bille nua seo os ár gcomhair, is é sin an Bille go ndearna mé tagairt dó an lá faoi dheireadh — Dublin Metropolitan Streets Commission. Tarlaíonn sé go raibh plean socraithe cheana féin ag an mbardas chun an obair seo a dhéanamh. Tharla sé go raibh tosnaithe againn féin ar an obair agus gur theastaigh uaínn bualadh ar aghaidh leis ach amháin nach raibh an t-airgead le fáil againn. Tuigfidh an tAire gur ghearr sé siar airgead na bliana seo orainn. Tarlaíonn sé anois go bhfuil an tAire ag caitheamh drochmheasa ar Bhardas Bhaile Átha Cliath mar nach bhfuil sé ag tabhairt cead dóibh na dualgais atá orthu a chomhlíonadh agus bualadh ar aghaidh leis an bplean a bhí socraithe acu chun feabhas a chur ar na sráideanna seo.
Ní féidir liom é a thuiscint — agus tuigim go raibh baint aige féin leis an gcomhairle áitiúil agus glacaim go ndearna sé obair mhaith agus é ina bhall den chomhairle chontae — cén fáth gur thug an tAire seo an masla atá tugtha aige do Chomhairleoirí Átha Cliath. Dúirt mé anseo agus dúirt mé i chuile aird na cathrach go bhfuil sé ag tabhairt mhasla freisin do mhuintir na cathrach mar is iad muintir na cathrach a thogh na daoine seo chun an obair seo a dhéanamh. Agus tá an tAire tar éis a shocrú go gcuirfear daoine isteach, daoine nach bhfuil ceapaithe ag muintir na cathrach agus, ní fheadair mé féin an bhfuil siad chomh cáilithe le comhairleoirí na cathrach chun an obair seo a dhéanamh. B'fhéidir go bhfuil sé dhéanamh sa lá anois chun iarraidh air, ach measaim féin tar éis dó machnamh a dhéanamh air seo go dtuigfidh sé féin nach raibh gá leis an mBille seo, go bhfuil sé ag cur am an Tí seo amú a bheith ag plé leis, mar thuigfinn, dá mba rud é go raibh comhairleoirí na cathrach ag déanamh faillí ina gcuid oibre, go mbeadh iachall ar Aire ar bith obair a cheap sé a bheith riachtanach a dhéanamh. Ach ní shin mar atá, mar a dúradh agus muid ar scoil agus buachaill amháin ag "cogáil" ó fhear eile. Is "cog" díreach é seo ón bplean a bhí socraithe cheana féin ag Bardas Átha Cliath.
That would force me to direct a question to the Minister in respect of this great plan he would have people accept at his presentation to the city of Dublin, arising from what, understandably, he would regard as the failure of the members of the corporation to do this work, which it would be incumbent on them to do. It appears that he is making available £10 million. Section 12 (1) states:
Subject to subsection (2) of this section, the Minister may, in each financial year, after consultation with the Commission in relation to its programme of expenditure for the year, make grants of such amounts as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas towards the expenditure of the Commission.
Section 12 (2) states that the total amounts of grants paid to the commission under this section shall not exceed £10 million.
Subsection (3) states:
Dublin Corporation shall, in lieu of expenses that would otherwise have been incurred by them in the Metropolitan Central Area, contribute annually to the Commission such sums of money as shall be agreed with the Commission or, in the event of disagreement, as shall be determined by the Minister.
The Minister expects that he should get compliments and kudos from the people of Dublin for making £10 million available for improvements which were already regarded as necessary by Dublin Corporation. They sought the money from him but he did not make it available. Now he proposes to establish a commission which will carry out this work and he will then send the bill to Dublin Corporation. That is my interpretation and any person who has any facility for interpretating anything will have to agree.
I am obliged to ask again what it is all in aid of. What justification is there for the Minister for local government — I use that former title because of the affront that has been offered to local government by the Minister — to establish a commission to carry out a plan already prepared by the corporation and then to charge the corporation for doing it? We must visualise the disruption which will occur, even in respect of personnel. One of the backbenchers said last week that the personnel of Dublin Corporation would be on loan to this agency but would be paid by the corporation. The Minister has said in his not untypically dictatorial way that if there is disagreement between the commission and the corporation the matter will be determined by him. If Dublin Corporation do not pay up, he will insist on their doing so.
When I was endeavouring to teach students in school I told them all the time to feel free to ask in respect of any proposition I put to them, "what is it in aid of, Mr. Tunney?" I would put that same question to the Minister. We find ourselves in a new situation in Dublin Corporation since it can be regarded as a Fianna Fáil corporation. The plan was already there but the Minister in his inimitable style is making it appear that whatever fruits come to the city arising from the plan come through him or his Minister of State, rather than the people who through concern and interest had already prepared the plan. There would be some justification for it if he were to play Santa Claus and give a separate £10 million. He is not doing so. He is protecting himself in respect of every penny that will be spent by Dublin Corporation.
Dublin Corporation have limited resources at present, bearing in mind that the Minister last year made them endure a cutback of £6 million. How are we in Dublin Corporation to manage our estimates if we know that in respect of certain operations in the city the Minister of the day can demand a certain payment? This is the worst attempt I have encountered at putting another stratum of bureaucracy on top of the existing layers.
I turn now to the lack of faith as expressed by Professor John Kelly last week, followed and ably assisted by Professor Shatter, that other great exponent of local democracy. They castigated Dublin Corporation because of the sins of the corporation in respect of certain developments in the city. I should like to remind Deputy Kelly that during the period when he was Minister and Attorney General, Dublin Corporation resisted a proposition that led to the construction of the most ugly and inappropriate building in this city in the heart of Deputy Kelly's area in Donnybrook, close to where he lives. Dublin Corporation resisted it every inch of the way but the Minister of the day, James Tully overrode the corporation and gave his permission for the construction of that building. It has remained there ever since, a monster. The monument to Ozymandias is nothing compared with the monstrous building opposed and resisted by the elected members of Dublin Corporation and which was imposed on the city by the Government of which Deputy Professor John Kelly is a member — the man who, in the words of his own student, is "always good for a laugh".