"The differences reported make for disturbing reading for the residents of the North Inner City. In the Gardiner Street/Sherrard Street area 61% of the people were unemployed on the date of the 2011 Census, with an incredible 50% never having been employed in their lives.
"In the same area 82.4% had only primary or lower-secondary education. These education and unemployment black spots are only a couple of hundred yards from O'Connell Street, the main thoroughfare in the capital city of the country.
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"The North City Centre has been black spot since the foundation of the State and it is imperative that we as Government now break this cycle of poverty and deprivation. The Government is taking this challenge seriously but clearly a job of work remains.
"The development of the new DIT Campus at Grangegorman announced last week is a major flagship project which will help transform the entire inner city by offering much needed employment while also catering for the educational needs of the area.
"Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn has also provided funding for two new primary schools - Dominick Street and Gaelscoil Bharra, while Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O'Sullivan has provided funding for two key regeneration projects in Hill Street/Gardiner Street and Liberty House - both of which will greatly benefit the residential stock of housing in the area.
"A new development plan to co-ordinate these and other initiatives is needed. Consideration could be given to establishing a special Task Force for the North Inner City. I have spoken to the Tánaiste on this issue and I intend to raise this issue with the Chairman of the Grangegorman Development Authority, the President of the DIT, the City Manager."
(CD)
