Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon has dubbed the Dublin City Taskforce “virtue signalling by a government in its dying days.”
The establishment of the Dublin City Taskforce was one of the first points of order by Taoiseach Simon Harris when he became Taoiseach in April, but 6 months later, Gannon argues the taskforce has little to show for it.
In a Dáil debate on Thursday, Gannon questioned Tánaiste Micheál Martin on the delivery of a budget and timeline for the plan, to which Martin replied “I do not think the memo has come to the Government. I think it is due next week.”
Gannon remarked that the fact cabinet has yet to see the completed report is a an “extraordinary abdication of responsibility.”
“When I questioned the Tánaiste in the Dáil, he responded that the media seemed to know more about the report’s recommendations than he or the Cabinet did,” Gannon said on Friday.
“Even more worrying, when I asked if a budget and timeline for solutions to the city centre’s problems were included in the report, he said its findings would serve as ‘a catalyst for debate’.”
“After almost six months of work, the taskforce report only appears to offer vague, uncosted measures on broad issues like housing and culture – and even contains the frankly ridiculous notion that RTÉ could relocate from Donnybrook to the GPO on O’Connell Street.”
“Frustratingly, none of the plans, if you can even call them that, have been costed or budgeted for.”
“With the Government now in its dying days, this vacuous report seems timed to score political points for the Taoiseach and Fine Gael instead of resulting in real action to rejuvenate our city or make it safer,” he remarked.
Local Fianna Fáil Senator Mary Fitzpatrick said at the time “safety, cleanliness and liveability are the main issues that this new task force must tackle if it is to give our city centre the meaningful change it needs.”
She said that cleanliness was a major, yet practical issue that the task force could address.
“It is vital that the task force assigns public domain officers to specific areas in the city centre who report daily on the number and location of tents, illegal dumping, drug dealing, dangerous dogs without leads or muzzles and people begging in their assigned area.”
She said that the task force should push for a system of daily waste collection coupled with street sweeping and regeneration projects such as the fruit and vegetable market, doing up Moore Street and completing works on the flats on Dominick Street.
“The establishment of this task force is something to be welcomed; the important thing now is that it puts these recommendations into place,” she said at the time.
Prior to becoming Lord Mayor of Dublin, Fine Gael councillor James Geoghegan said the taskforce is something “that is welcomed by management in Dublin City Council, and it will provide the level of focus that is needed to effect real change to our city.”
Gannon stated “it is clear now that there was never any genuine intention by this government to make the inner city a safer, cleaner, more liveable place; six months of work cannot only result in further debate. Public money should not be used to fund projects that only serve as virtue signals for a Government looking to secure another term.”
“Just like with the Leinster House bike shed, security hut and the National Children’s Hospital, exchequer monies have once again been spent in an inappropriate manner, leaving Dubliners shortchanged.”
“The Taoiseach must now reveal how much this latest in a long line of reports on solving Dublin’s problems has cost the taxpayer.”