Anniversary of publication of report and “little progress has been made”
700 days since Dublin Riots on Thursday
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) is calling on the Government to blow the “20kgs of dust” off the Dublin City Taskforce Report that has accumulated over the last year. The representative body for Dublin publicans made their call ahead of the 1 year anniversary of the report, which was published on 21 October 2024.
“When the Dublin City Taskforce Report was published a year ago, we said that action was needed and the report shouldn’t be left to gather dust once the lights from the press announcement faded,” said Donall O’Keeffe, CEO of the LVA. “Since then little to nothing has happened and very little progress has been made.
“It is said that the average house collects 20 kilograms of dust per year. Well a report that has been left untouched in Leinster House and Government Buildings for 365 days must have at least that much on it. We are calling on the Government to blow the 20kgs of dust off the Dublin City Taskforce Report and start delivering upon its commitments.
“We’re especially disappointed to see no action taken in relation to the appointment of an oversight board or the creation of the special purpose vehicle with its own independent board and chair. The Chair of the Taskforce that published these plans, Mr. David McRedmond, also voiced his own criticism about the slow pace of delivery on these topics last month and also said “delay is fatal” to the plans.
“The Taoiseach and his Department should outline precisely what concrete steps have been taken towards delivery of the recommendations in the 12 months since the report was published. In fact, if they were serious about advancing this plan they would be producing progress reports every three months, so that anyone concerned about the future development of our capital city is updated on where things stand.
“We also shouldn’t forget why this report and recommendations were needed. There are longer-term strategic issues that need to be addressed in Dublin City, issues requiring a whole of Government approach. That won’t happen if more dust is allowed to accumulate on the report.
“It is worth recognising that the riots that wreaked havoc across Dublin City took place on 23 November 2023. This Thursday will mark 700 days since those riots. In the two years since, what structural changes have been made? What capital investments have been delivered? The lack of urgency from Government is very worrying. Where is their desire to lead on this issue and to deliver the reforms that Dublin needs and Dubliners demand?” Mr. O’Keeffe concluded.