Ritchie visits Limerick and meets new Dublin ministerial team - 21 July 2008

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie will spend the next two days examining housing and urban regeneration in the Republic of Ireland.

The Minister will meet with three members of Taoiseach Brian Cowan’s new ministerial team. The subjects on the agenda range from liquor licensing and social security regulation in meetings with Mary Hanafin, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Michael Finneran, the Minister of State for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, and Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform.

Margaret Ritchie said:“ I am primarily concerned with providing enough housing for Northern Ireland’s population and am keen to learn from the work that is going on in the South. On Monday I will be briefed by the Limerick Regeneration Agencies, set up by the Government to address the social and housing problems facing people living in the Northside and Southside of Limerick City.

“ I will also meet Shannon Development - the government owned regional development company dedicated to promoting and developing the Shannon Region in the West of Ireland. Shannon Development has epitomised the comprehensive, joined-up approach to regeneration that I have set for my own Department.”

Assembly Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie chats with
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanifin TD at her departmental office.

Photo by Maxwell Photography

Margaret Ritchie will visit Shannon on Monday 21 July and meet top executives of Shannon Development to discuss the benefits of the organisation’s approach to broad based, comprehensive regeneration. Established in 1959 as the Shannon Free Airport Development Company, Shannon Development’s mission is promote economic growth in the Western region.

The Social Development Minister will meet with the Chief Executive of the Limerick Regeneration Agencies also and discuss the plans for the Moyross Housing Estate on the Northside of Limerick and other estates on the Southside of the City. These estates have experienced serious social problems and high profile criminal activity over many years. In 2007 two special purpose Government Agencies for the Southside and Northside of Limerick City were established to plan and implement comprehensive Master Plans for the area.

The Ministers that Margaret Ritchie will meet are: Mary Hanafin, born in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was first elected FF Member for Dun Laoghaire to Dáil Éireann in the 1997 General Election and has previously held the offices of Minister for Education and Science; Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence; Minister of State at the Departments of Health and Children, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and Education and Science; Michael Finneran is Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and a TD for Roscommon-South Leitrim; Dermot Ahern has been Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform from May this year and has held a range of Ministerial posts over the past 17 years including Minister for Foreign Affairs; Minister for Communications, and Marine and Natural Resources; Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.