There are more than 20 months until the beginning of the third Christian millennium. There is considerable excitement and interest in many other countries, particularly Britain, about this event and many major projects have been planned. We have seen pictures and media coverage of the millennium dome in Britain which the Minister Mr. Mandelson is charged with constructing in London. Many other exhibitions and special projects are planned in France, other EU countries and the United States. However, it appears the importance and significance of the millennium is by-passing the Government. There is a significant possibility that the Government will not be in office when the millennium is celebrated and perhaps that is why it is not bothering to prepare for it. Nevertheless, the Government's performance on this matter has been dismal.
Dublin City Council recently discussed a number of significant projects for the city which were to be prepared and initiated to mark the millennium, particularly the O'Connell Street boulevard project. Some interesting designs on the restoration of the street as a major central area in the capital city similar to the Champs Elysées have been submitted. There is also a proposal for a new bridge over the river Liffey and the announcement of a possible new competition and several regional plans. However, most city and county councillors and Deputies are unaware of what is happening because the Taoiseach and the Government appear to be unsure about what projects will go ahead. Last October-November on a number of occasions on the Order of Business I raised with the Taoiseach the possibility of considering, if not a large project or a number of large projects, a simple project for our capital city and other urban areas. I asked that consideration be given to setting up a special environmental millennium fund, given that most city dwellers love parks and open spaces. As a result of my suggestion, the Taoiseach's office contacted Dublin Corporation and a list of projects was drawn up.
In my constituency there are a number of significant parks such as Belcamp Park, Streamville Park and Fr. Collins Park where major environmental works are needed. When the Taoiseach was leader of Dublin City Council in 1987 he abolished service charges but cut the workforce by 1,500. He also cut back significantly on spending. Since then the council has had to cope with a threadbare parks budget. Will the Taoiseach support my proposal and make available money for parks and open spaces for our capital city?
A number of major announcements have been made for the city such as the Luas proposal. It looks as if in the Dublin Cabinet Ministers, led by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, because of opposition by their country colleagues, are not prepared to spend £2 when they can get away with spending £1 in terms of providing the best possible environmentally friendly transport infrastructure for Dublin. There are a number of key projects throughout the city such as the village project in Darndale. The Taoiseach has been able to provide money for that special millennium project. There are ten or 15 other areas around the city and in other cities where an impact could be made in terms of providing for memorable celebrations of the millennium.
The Minister, Deputy McDaid, recently announced spending on sports, but most people in this House were bitterly disappointed with the allocation. It was thought the Government intended to target sports and youth resources at specially deprived areas, yet my constituency with many deprived areas received the miserly sum of £4,000 out of a total of £7 million. Is the Taoiseach serious about the promises made in the election manifesto? As part of the millennium celebrations significant projects should be considered such as the development of parks, the boulevard scheme and so on. Those projects should be expedited.
