Report shows Dublin Central left high and dry after 12 years of FF Govt – Donohoe

27th May, 2009

Fine Gael Dublin Central Bye-election Candidate Senator Paschal Donohoe has said a new report which revealed that large areas of the constituency have seen almost no improvement is a damning indictment of 12 years of Fianna Fáil Government.

 

 

Senator Donohoe was speaking after a report commissioned by the Dublin Inner City Partnership revealed very high unemployment, poor social housing and widespread deprivation.

 

“This report is a damning indictment of Fianna Fáil’s record for the inner city. It shows what many of us have known for years: that some parts of Dublin Central have not enjoyed any benefits from the record growth of the Celtic Tiger years. These areas have been left high and dry now that the tide has gone out.

 

“Every day I see the impact of this inequality at first hand. The deprivation in some areas completely undermines Fianna Fáil’s claim to have helped the most needy. The Government was always more concerned about property developers and bankers than with helping out ordinary people.

 

“The recession is no excuse for the State to continue to turn its back on the inner city. The widespread and persistent poverty identified in the report is clear evidence that current services are not getting through to many of the people most in need.

 

“Urban regeneration is key to helping these communities, and we need new initiatives to identify ways of utilising the large number of empty and run-down properties in Dublin Central. I believe special provision must be made to tackle other inner city problems such as class sizes and affordable health services. Jobs will also play a crucial role, and Fine Gael has launched new proposals to help employers create new jobs and get people off the dole by providing a two year job creation subsidy to employers.