I have been speaking about an integrated development plan for the city of Dublin. The only way to tackle the problem of the greater Dublin area is as a unit. Many thousands of families who lived in the central city are now living on the outskirts and feel isolated. They also belong to the inner part of the city. We cannot begin to think about the inner city without considering these areas.
An integrated development programme for the Dublin region would include infrastructure and transport which would include the extension of the DART to Tallaght, Lucan, Clondalkin and Clonsilla. It would include provisions relating to pollution of the air and to pollution in Dublin Bay because there are problems in that respect. It would also include the revitalising of inner city industries and tourism.
Deputy Kelly mentioned this morning that when bringing guests or visitors from the airport he went two miles out of his way so as not to go through the inner city. That is a very sad reflection on the inner city and on everybody who has anything to do with it. I agree that the inner city is not a place to bring tourists at the moment. That is a great pity because we have a very historic and noble city. It would be a great venue for tourists if we could get our act together on this matter.
An integrated development programme would produce greater results than would be obtained by carrying out different measures separately, one after the other. In addition, there would be priority access to the Community's various structural funds and finance instruments and it would enable the maximum rates of assistance for the project. I cannot understand why we are not going about this in the right way. As I said already and it was mentioned earlier today, a feasibility study could be carried out and would be funded by the EC. The EC would give 75 per cent of the total cost without any problem whatsoever. They are only waiting to be asked and they cannot understand why we are not asking for that money. The feasibility study would have to have the support of the member state which obviously this has not got. It would have the support of the local authorities but the Government of the member state has to initiate the project.
The integrated approach was adopted by the Commission because it was considered to be the most effective way of using Community funds particularly in regions affected by serious problems. I regard Dublin as a region with serious problems. In 1981 the Commission introduced priority treatment for operations jointly financed by two or more of the Community funds. The integrated approach is now the method which is considered to be by far the best way of making the most of the available moneys from Europe. It only stands to reason that if you get moneys from the Regional or Social funds or by way of FEOGA grants and loans from the EIB, or from the bank in Luxembourg and if you pool all that money together and have an intergrated approach you will get far better value and better results from the moneys available. The Commission would seek to facilitate and encourage — these are their words — the access of all member states to the integrated approach. Their implementation would become progressively more feasible as community, national, regional and local authorities would gain from the experience of working together in such a framework.
We have all heard about the first integrated development programme and the projects that were carried out for Belfast and Naples. The integrated development operation in Belfast began in 1981. In this context an extra £58 million sterling was allocated for urban renewal in the area of Belfast covered by the integrated development operation. The total amount paid out from the structural funds was £41.3 million and the EIB loans amounted to £22.6 million. Approximately two-thirds of the investments envisaged in 1981 have been realised in Belfast. Several large structural projects have been completed with Community aid. These included roads, Belfast docks and a hospital. The most important progress was made in urban renewal of the poorest sections of the city. The sectors developed included infrastructure, tourism, trade and development. These are the kind of developments we need in Dublin. The only way to go about this is by doing what the Community is now suggesting. I feel very strongly about this. There was no feedback whatsoever from the Coalition Government over the past two years. I asked questions in the European Parliament and questions have been asked of Ministers in this House but they were met with a blank wall.
I decided recently to take a motion for resolution on an integrated development programme for the Dublin area to the European Parliament. This document is now with the European Parliament. It will be circulated to the Commission, the Council and to the Government here. It is at present with the Regional Policy and Planning Committee. My reasons for doing this were, (a), having regard to the preamble of the Treaty of Rome which calls for a reduction in the differences existing between the various regions and the backwardness of the less favoured regions; (b), I was aware that the most deprived and least favoured regions include all peripheral and island regions of the Community; (c), Dublin city and county is experiencing very great difficulties at present; (d), 35 per cent of the nation's population live in this area; (e), I was concerned about the grave economic and social problems of the region where unemployment averages 20 per cent, where 50 per cent of the population are under 25 and where crime, vandalism and drug abuse reached alarming levels; (f), I was deeply concerned that the decline of the inner city where many buildings lie derelict while families live in inadequate housing or are homeless has become a serious problem; (g), the lack of adequate infrastructural transport and recreational facilities to serve the area; (h), I was concerned about the levels of pollution caused by smoke and exhaust emissions and the discharge of pollutants into Dublin Bay estuary; (i), those engaged in market gardening in north County Dublin face grave difficulties because of the lack of appropriate marketing and processing structures; (j), I was aware of the need to provide greater incentives to boost tourism in the area; (k), I stressed the importance of large scale integrated programmes combining applications for regional and social investment — note that the greater efforts required to set up these measures are rewarded by the improved uses of Community, national and regional expenditure —; (1), I recalled the success and dedicated commitment involved in setting up integrated development programmes for Naples and Belfast; (m), I considered that the difficulties of the area justified special support and action by the Community and (n), item 5412 of the European Community budget for 1986 makes a commitment of 1.3 million ECU's to be used to finance specialised sections in the framework for integrated operations in areas of the Community affected by exceptionally high levels of unemployment and an absence of basic social and economic infrastructure, for example, Dublin. That is on the line in the budget. Dublin is specifically mentioned. (1) The Commission are called on in consultation with Dublin city and county council authorities to draw up proposals for an integrated development programme in the area. (2) It is recommended that the proposals and objectives of such a study should be to consider long term unemployment, the improvement of housing, transport and regional and social infrastructures and the development of tourism.
You will see that I have taken into account all aspects of the greater region of Dublin. They are all important, and if this capital city of ours is to improve, if it is to become an area where we can be proud and not ashamed to bring our tourists through O'Connell Street, as suggested by Deputy Kelly this morning, we will have to tackle the problem of Dublin as a development area in the long term, not over three years but over a period of ten to 15 years. I believe that it will take six months at least to get this commission even working. I go home along Cuffe Street through Kevin Street in the evening and recently any evening that I have been going home around five o'clock there is a traffic jam there because at the corner of Cuffe Street and Wexford Street road widening is in process. It is only a matter of about 40 yards but there have been traffic jams there for the last three or four months and the red and black oil cans are still sitting down in the centre of that road. There is one line of traffic where there should be three. If it takes three to four months to take a small corner off a roadway, what on earth can you do with the city of Dublin or the streets that have been mentioned in three years, because that is the time this commission will have?
As I said, Dublin needs more than a few pot plants and flowers. I agree with the city being decorated and beautiful. I agree with window boxes. I have seen some European cities which are absolutely beautiful with their window boxes and flowers. I agree with a face lift if the rest of the body is in good health. I hope that when this report is formulated by the regional policy in Dublin and when it goes before the European Parliament for discussion, which should be in the next couple of months, it will be accepted by that parliament. The report should not be just about Dublin and I hope that it will be integrated into a programme of development operation for the rest of Ireland. It is not just in Dublin that we should see this happening. I want to see it happening in the west, the north west and the south west. When you put a whole package together you get an area moving much more rapidly and efficiently. This report will cover the whole of the country and one section of the legislation will be about Dublin. I look forward to the outcome of this report. I hope that when it is finished and passed by the European Parliament the Government of the day will take note of it and will consider seriously the programme for this capital city of ours which we should be proud of and which we should be encouraging all the people from the rest of the EC to come and visit, and we should not be ashamed to go down O'Connell Street and see derelict sites and the very bad situation as at the moment.