I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 18, inclusive, together.

In May 2024, the Government appointed a task force to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin city centre, north and south, to make Dublin city centre a more thriving, attractive, and safe cityscape and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit. Following the task force report and recommendations, as agreed by the Government, the Department of the Taoiseach convened an interdepartmental group to examine the recommendations made by the Dublin city task force. The group, chaired by my Department, submitted a report to the Government with a ten-year roadmap for delivery setting out a comprehensive implementation path for the task force report. Through this roadmap for delivery, we will see implementation of the task force report across three phases, over ten years, at the heart of Dublin city. Central to this will be a special purpose vehicle to drive delivery and to support the specific capital developments relevant to the project. The council is currently working on the establishment of this new legal entity. A ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre will optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction. There will be accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre through additional funding in the URDF under the NDP review. Redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious and historic flagship project will be managed by the Office of Public Works.

In addition, the roadmap creates an enabling environment designed to build confidence with business, landholders and investors to get involved in achieving a new vision for Dublin city centre and to drive private sector investment. An oversight board comprising all of the relevant Departments and agencies has been established to oversee and provide strategic direction for delivery of the roadmap. It is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. The board has been meeting regularly since its establishment in July. In line with the roadmap, Dublin City Council is currently recruiting staff with the required technical skills for an interim programme management unit, which will drive delivery while work is advancing to set up a special purpose vehicle. Changes to the living city initiative announced as part of budget 2026 will also support regeneration and efforts to tackle vacancy and dereliction in the city.

The programme for Government commits to applying the Dublin city task force model to other cities, towns and regions in need of revitalisation, starting with Cork city. Recognising Cork city’s unique character and potential as our second city, implementation of this model will demand a tailored response in line with the specificity of Cork city and with stakeholders in Cork. We have met with the council, universities and others. Following meetings between my officials and Cork City Council, draft terms of reference for Cork city are at an advanced stage. A follow-up meeting with the council’s chief executive has been scheduled for next week, and I expect the terms of reference to be finalised and submitted to the Government in the near future. There will be regular reports to the Government on developments in both Dublin and Cork cities from then on.

I know the Taoiseach is familiar with the Cork city issue. His Department and the Government have had significant contact with Cork City Council and others in relation to the establishment of this group. I understand it may not be called a task force and that is fine. What we want is a group of organisations and individuals in Cork with the sole purpose of trying to improve Cork as a place to live, work, do business and visit. There are critical themes. We need to invest in our public spaces and streetscape in the city, address issues with vacancy, and continue to ensure we have a proper transportation system which can focus on issues such as BusConnects, Cork Luas and improving connectivity to our airport, which is an ongoing issue. There has been a recent increase in Garda visibility in Cork and that is welcome. This would also be a key focus. I welcome the Taoiseach's update and ask him to give us an indication of when he hopes this group will be formally established.

I broadly support what Deputy McGrath has said. We are in and out of here for the best part of 12 months talking about this issue. Everybody is talking about getting the task force together expeditiously. I think the Taoiseach said in an Irish Examiner article before Christmas that he hoped to come to a decision about the formulation of it by the end of January. I know we still have a week of so left for that timeline to transpire. People just want certainty for the reasons Deputy McGrath has outlined. To be fair, the Cork Business Association and Cork Chamber have done good work over the past few years, particularly in rolling out those patrols the Cork Business Association was involved with. Going forward, that model could be replicated in other areas and cities across the country. Most importantly it is about tackling dereliction, particularly in the North Main Street and South Main Street area. It is about time we give people that certainty and get on with the work of the task force.

The Dublin city task force produced a comprehensive report with clear recommendations to improve safety, footfall and confidence in Dublin city. However, many residents, retailers and workers across Dublin South-Central, including the Liberties, the Coombe, Inchicore and the wider south-west inner city area, are still not seeing the tangible impacts on the ground. Antisocial behaviour in particular and persistent petty theft continue to place real pressures on small shops, supermarkets and small retailers. Crucially, this behaviour puts people off visiting local streets and neighbourhood centres, reduces footfall and undermines community confidence and some local businesses. People want to feel safe when they are walking, jogging, shopping and using public transport. Increased visible policing, including transport police on the Luas and bus networks alongside stronger Garda visibility, is essential to restore that confidence. Ultimately, will the Taoiseach provide a clear update on where implementation of the task force stands, including governance, timelines and, more importantly, funding?

As the Taoiseach is aware, the task force recommended ten big moves for regeneration, which focused on renewing O'Connell Street and the surrounding areas, dealing with dereliction and increasing security in the city. The increased presence of gardaí in the city is welcome and has improved matters but it has not fully solved them. The issue of dereliction in the city persists. Will the Taoiseach update the House on the actions being taken to address dereliction and vacancy in the city?

In my constituency of Dublin Bay North there are similar issues of crime and antisocial behaviour to those we see in the city. Ironically, the additional Garda presence in the city centre has displaced some of that antisocial behaviour towards the northside. The programme for Government commits to using the task force model in other parts of the country. Will the Taoiseach advise if a similar approach will be taken to the suburbs of north Dublin, which also require renewal and regeneration with an improved policing presence?

To be clear, I support better public transport, but in the task force we speak about the changes. Everyone in this House will have heard hundreds of people speaking about ghost buses. The NTA now wants to merge and extend routes in north Dublin. The NTA has said that ghost buses are due to longer routes and cross-city routes. The 130 route has been told it will be changed, but there was not enough consultation with the people of north Dublin. At the same time the 123 service has been changed. It no longer finishes at O'Connell Street. Now, elderly people, those with disabilities and those who are vulnerable are asked to walk hundreds of metres to an area they are not familiar with. People have contacted my office. They have learned the route. They are not used to changes in their routine. It made a huge difference to those people who were not consulted. I would love the Taoiseach to examine this. They deserve reliable buses before redesigned routes. I acknowledge the work of Independent Councillor Breen on Dublin City Council on this.

I put to the Taoiseach that the actions on the ground in the inner city in particular starkly contradict the aspirations of the task force plan. I will give two examples. The task force has an aspiration to expand artistic spaces and develop new cultural hubs, yet in Smithfield in the north-west inner city, The Complex, a critical hub and piece of community and artistic infrastructure, has been shut down. Will he explain that contradiction? The task force lauds the importance of community facilities for children's sports to foster a healthy and well community. Therefore, all plans must include well-designed public spaces, green spaces, playgrounds and recreational areas. However, at this moment the community at Portland Row in the north inner city faces the imminent closure of a playing pitch, one of the few community facilities available in the entirety of the inner city and the only one available to this community. How can that stack up? How can that be right? The community has to be heard. The Taoiseach has to be as good as his word if he is going to produce these reports.

Regardless of whether we are talking about the Dublin city task force, there is not much point having a report unleashed unless we see implementation. We know that across this State there is a huge issue with drug debt, intimidation and violence.

We saw the absolutely brutal killing of Tadhg Farrell and Mary Holt in Edenderry. We all remember the brutal killing of Keane Mulready-Woods. We have heard from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau that there are 169 organised crime groups operating in Ireland, with 65% of them involved in drug trafficking. Many of us have seen the work that youth diversion programmes have done. I have seen it in Cox's Demesne and those operating out of The House and the TEAM project. I have seen the early intervention and the piece of work it has done. We have seen projects, such as Greentown, that have intervened with young people who have fallen into criminality. We need to see a lot more of that. It is about having a real conversation about all of the interventions that are necessary and also about the police acting so that we do not allow drug dealers to operate for years upon years.

The Tánaiste said in 2024 that within 100 days of Government formation, Cork city would have a task force. It is 362 days later and there is still no sign of the task force, but what we have are broken promises and all the talk out of the Tánaiste. This Government made promises to the people of Cork, but does the Taoiseach know what it is like? It is like the promises made about the events centre, which still has not been delivered. Some €2.2 million has been spent and a contractor has not even been appointed. I love being from Cork. As the Taoiseach knows, people from Cork love where we are from. Does the Taoiseach know what we do not love? It is this Government not investing in Cork. There is a shortage of gardaí, a bus service that does not work and gridlock around the city. When will this task force be delivered for Cork? Will the funding and the resources be there to deliver for Cork?

Let us be honest: many parts of this great capital are now in decline. Moore Street, one of the most important battlefield sites in the country, the headquarters of the 1916 Rising and the ground zero of the independence struggle, was supposed to redeveloped ten years ago in time for the 1916 centenary commemorations. Maybe the bicentenary will be a better timescale for the Taoiseach's Government to do anything in relation to Moore Street. Instead of being a cultural or historic quarter, Moore Street is now a location for drinking, drugs, defecation and urination. Many parts of O'Connell Street, our main street, are in serious decay. It is the location for crime and antisocial behaviour, with many people now uncomfortable being on O'Connell Street at night. Dereliction is rife in many parts of the city. Heavy-handed transport policies have significantly reduced footfall because of the lack of public transport. When will the Government invest in Dublin? When will it make parts of Dublin, especially the central core, safe again for people?

I want to bring up again the privatisation of waste management in Dublin. The Dublin city task force and Dublin City Council recommend that a single waste management company should provide bin collection services, with a further recommendation that, in the long term, it should be taken under the control of Dublin City Council. The privatisation of the bins has failed. The environmental impact of multiple trucks going down the same road at multiple times during the day is having a detrimental impact on our communities. It is a wild west situation. Bin companies are operating like a cartel and bringing up their prices in unison and in a co-ordinated approach, and the consumer is paying the price. Will the Government's task force for Dublin tackle the privatisation of waste management and bring back the bins to public ownership?

There is an incredible disconnect between the supposed aspirations of the Dublin task force and the actuality. As has already been mentioned, it is absolutely shocking that The Complex, a vibrant space across all the arts disciplines which provided direct employment for about 30 or 40 people and had about 250 artists operating out of it, is gone for the lack of €6 million from the Government. That is all it asked for. I note that seven of our leading actors have written a letter to The Irish Times in the past week saying that the lack of core and multi-annual funding for theatre companies has had a devastating effect on the ability of actors to produce good theatre. A central part of Dublin's identity and reputation is being decimated essentially because of a neoliberal funding model for theatre. What is the Taoiseach going to do about these things?

This morning, a powerful piece on "Morning Ireland" about drug-related intimidation described how families are confronted by drug dealers who say that their child owes them a certain amount of money and the family now owes this money and they will terrorise the family until it gives them the money. One woman said that 50% of the time, she feels a knot in her stomach as a result of stress. Another woman said that every time a car comes down into her cul-de-sac at night-time, she thinks: "Are they coming for me?". In another case, these gangsters turned up at a person's door with crowbars and tried to break in when she was there alone. This is a thing that is happening across the city. The report highlighted the work of the Whitechurch addiction support project, which is supported through the Drug Related Intimidation and Violence Engagement, DRIVE, initiative. It has done excellent work supporting 75 families in the past year. However, the kicker came at the end of the report when we heard that the funding for this DRIVE project is now over and this work will end in the next month. It seems incredible that at a time when the Government is promoting this project nationally, funding is being taken away from local projects to assist families in dealing with this intimidation.

I listened carefully to what the Taoiseach said at the start. He spoke about what Dublin City Council and the OPW are doing with regard to the Dublin task force, but we heard little or nothing about what the Government itself is doing. We still have no legal implementation body. We still have no budget funding, which was called for by the chair of the task force. There is a bitter irony here because others have spoken about The Complex. The task force report talks about the need to create a cultural hub. The Complex was actually pictured in the report, which was launched back in October 2024, yet the Government could not stump up a small few million euros. The Government is talking about supporting Dublin city, but is it really strangling the recommendations of the task force and the miserly implementation plan devised by the interdepartmental working group, which is only seven months old? We are not seeing any action on the ground by the Government.

There were over 99 people arrested and over 82 have been prosecuted in relation to the Dublin riots, a dark day that was the pretext for the creation of the Dublin city task force. It has resulted in a more visible police presence in our city to deliver a safer city. The way in which waste is presented by commercial operators in parts of our city has changed to deliver a clean city. We are trying to get more people living in our city. As part of the task force there is a project under way, in combination with the measures we have introduced in terms of the living city initiative, to get people living above shops in places like Middle Abbey Street and North Frederick Street. My question relates to ensuring that central government holds a grip over the measures that lots of Members acknowledge are being delivered by Dublin City Council. We have to ensure that it continues to be supported and equally that the level of transparency that was demanded from the task force continues under the stewardship of the Taoiseach.

Deputy Séamus McGrath raised the issue of a task force for Cork city, as did Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan and Thomas Gould. First of all, we have not been awaiting the establishment of the task force in respect of investment in Cork city. The most significant investment recently was the up to €90 million announced for the Crawford Gallery, which is a national institution. It is very substantial and will transform that aspect of the city centre. The refurbishment of the Shandon area, for example, has received very significant multi-million funding. Most recently, it was announced that the Tyndall national research institute, which is vital for inward investment, has been allocated well over €100 million by the Government. This is really setting the future solid for the Cork area and region and, indeed, nationally in respect of the area of semi-conductor research, photonics and other vital areas, such as frontier technologies, which will bring in further investment.

Of course there is also the investment in the universities, MTU and UCC. Above and beyond anything else, Cork city is an education city and continued investment in education will be there. As I said, there is a meeting this week with the CEO. I hope we conclude that work and, in the next two to three weeks, we go to the Government and we establish the group, which will focus on the city centre.

The visibility of the gardaí has improved very significantly with the recent out-take from Templemore which saw up to 30 gardaí appointed. We saw over Christmas, just as we saw in Dublin city, the impact of greater visibility of gardaí on the street in terms of confidence in security in the city centres. Many traders and citizens have articulated the psychological impact alone of that visibility. That presence, both in Dublin city and in Cork city, cannot be overstated.

Regarding the events centre, Cork corporation is overseeing the tender processes for that and is making progress. Because of the way that had escalated, it needed to go out to tender in a proper, formal way that is legally watertight and so on. That simply had to happen.

Deputies Séamus McGrath and Pádraig O'Sullivan were focusing on the city centre itself. We have to look at residential and we have to look at commercial. It is a different type of city into the future. The living cities initiative applies to Dublin, Cork, Galway and others. The Revenue Commissioners will be engaging with the councils to make sure they can get the proper maps. We have dramatically changed the impact of that initiative now. The older one was very limited and restrictive to pre-1915 buildings. Good sizeable grants are available for development over shops, and there is no date in terms of the building. Likewise for residential, we are looking at up to 1975 now, so there are opportunities in terms of some of the buildings in the cities and the extended areas that were captured and outlined in the budget.

The Railyard project will be the tallest building in the country, with social housing and cost rental. It is a significant development in the core of the city but also pointing to the docklands. The investment in the docklands has been very significant so far. In the areas north and south of the River Lee, the LDA is doing good work with the city council. This is a good example of how State agencies working together can deliver a lot. Iarnród Éireann has also been very facilitative. I remind Deputy Gould that the Kent Station transformation reflects very significant investment in infrastructure in the region. The key thing with the light rail project is to get the route selection finalised and then to get it started.

Deputy Ardagh raised the south-west inner-city area of Dublin - the Liberties and so on - in terms of security, policing, community confidence and transport policing, which I accept is a significant issue. I believe that a greater investment in amenities, such as playing facilities, is an absolute imperative in those parts of Dublin. Dublin City Council needs to really work hard at that. Other councils across Dublin need to work particularly hard - and, I would argue, more effectively - to provide facilities for clubs and communities in the sporting area. When we compare Dublin to other parts of the country, we see different models outside of Dublin which are far more widespread and more effective in terms of councils leasing land to clubs and so on. It is something that has struck me in terms of how Dublin is organised for playing amenities and playing facilities more generally. Policing will improve as we continue to have more recruits coming out of Templemore, which is producing a significant number of graduates on a very regular basis.

I hear what Deputy Brabazon said about Dublin regarding policing and the improved presence of gardaí. Clearly, that is something we are working on in dealing with antisocial behaviour. I hear what he has said about the north Dublin suburbs. For the moment we have to work on the city task force and its implementation.

Deputy Heneghan raised the issue of the NTA and BusConnects. We cannot get into the specifics of every route here, but nonetheless there is an obligation on the NTA to work with public representatives and the communities to make sure that the service is people-centric and that those who are infirm or senior, in particular, are looked after in respect of bus routes.

Deputy McDonald spoke about facilities on the ground, be they arts facilities or playing facilities.

The lost facilities.

Again, the city council has a key role to play here, particularly as I said earlier in terms of playing facilities. That applies in terms of arts facilities and cultural facilities as well. Many facilities have been provided, but it is very disappointing in terms of The Complex.

That is not a good enough answer.

Sorry, I am speaking now. What is important is that for those areas and premises that we can control, the local authorities should identify and prioritise those for community and artistic engagement. In terms of the recommendations, the establishment of a special purpose vehicle, SPV, under section 66 of the Local Government Act 2001-----

I raised Portland Row as well.

-----is a matter for the elected members of Dublin City Council. The council is taking the required steps to set up the legal entity. The SPV is key. We have seen in the past that when SPVs get established, they can get things done in respect of buildings and having control and agency in a lot of areas. It is expected that the legal entity will be established by the end of quarter 2 of 2026.

The OPW is leading on the redevelopment of the GPO in a manner that will be consistent with the historic nature of the building and its national significance. It will work with Dublin City Council and other key stakeholders in that regard. The OPW has established a steering group to manage this flagship project, which will consider all related property matters and potential interim uses. It will carry out a non-statutory consultation and engagement process with the general public, which is expected to commence this year. This will be carried out over a period of nine months and will reach local, regional, national and international audiences. There is an oversight board, as Members know, on the roadmap for delivery of the Dublin city task force to which the OPW will be reporting. We have an oversight board, which is chaired by my Department. A number of meetings have taken place since its establishment in July. Subgroups have been established to examine issues including services, locations for vulnerable groups, financial resources and communications. As part of the development of an integrated area strategy for the city, the council is holding workshops with key stakeholders to ensure an aligned approach to managing the rejuvenation of the city's main street, in addition to the co-ordination work being carried out by the council's rejuvenation action group. The process of transferring the ownership of the GPO to the OPW has commenced. As I said, the OPW is preparing a nationwide public consultation process. A lot is happening but we really have to get the SPV established.

What about Moore Street?

As the Deputy knows, work is under way on Moore Street under the aegis of the OPW. I have been there. This will also form part of the overall rejuvenation of O'Connell Street, respecting the ethos and the historic nature of Moore Street, in particular. A previous Government designated it as a national monument. We are very clear about its importance historically. We will preserve and make available that heritage for future generations to see at first hand.

Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of drug trafficking and intimidation. Deputy Murphy raised a similar issue. I heard the piece this morning on "Morning Ireland" about the intimidatory tactics deployed by criminal gangs against young people in particular, and how young people can get caught up, for small amounts of money, in situations that can have appalling impacts on their lives. Without question, An Garda Síochána is working hard and effectively on this. I will check up on the programme Deputy Ó Murchú identified. There may be the potential to extend or expand it.

Projects like that on the ground have an impact and can give great solace and support to people when they most need it such that they do not fall prey to the intimidatory nature of these gangs and have their lives destroyed. It is important to try to get their lives back on track.

Deputy Tóibín raised Moore Street, which I have discussed, and the drugs issue in the city centre.

Deputy Ward, I think, raised the privatisation of waste. Again, Dublin City Council has a key role in respect of that. I may ask for a report in terms of its perspective on it because there are different perspectives on it. I think Deputy Geoghegan felt it was working. One has to tread carefully such that we do not create further difficulties and further challenges.

Deputy Gannon raised the SPV issue and the working group. I think I have dealt with that comprehensively. It will be established by the end of quarter 2.

The money.

The funding will be allocated as required. You do not just send a dollop straight up.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett referred to The Complex also and the core and multi-annual funding for theatre. He described the model as a neoliberal model. I think we have a thriving arts and cultural situation in Ireland. The Arts Council is important in that regard. The arts departments of city councils are very important in supporting theatre companies and, in particular, production companies.

Did the Taoiseach read the letter from the actors?

This is not back and forth.

I will. I did not catch it but I will now that the Deputy has drawn my attention to it. I will have a look at that. I am always very open to supporting production, drama and so on. The question is what the most effective way of doing it is. It is a core part of any city in terms of quality of life, which is important. We do not just live in an economy; we live in a society. We have strengths in that regard.

In response to Deputy Sherlock, the implementation bodies, as I said, are key. I have given her a timeline as to when that will be established. As regards my previous experience of SPVs, Temple Bar in its day was very effective in pulling the property together and getting things developed. SPVs can work.

Deputy Geoghegan referred to the living city initiative. We have transformed that programme, that tax facility or, more accurately, that urban regeneration facility, which can be facilitated by tax and grants and supports. We need to keep an eye on that to make sure we deliver it and drive it. I know Revenue will be waiting for the city council to come with maps and so on, but I think that should be okay for Dublin. I would have thought the maps were in. Department of Finance officials are saying this could take time. In my view, it should not take time in Dublin and it should not take time in Cork because the areas are already well known. The newer areas might take a bit of time, but in Cork and Dublin we should now really drive the application of the living city initiative and the changes we have brought in in the budget, which I think will have a significant impact.