A chara, The Ballymun Branch of The Workers' Party views with serious concern the failure of the Government, and in particular of the Minister for the Environment, to sanction the full refurbishment of the Ballymun Flats complex.
The refurbishment ground to a halt in 1993, and the tenants are still waiting for an announcement on when work will recommence. There seemed to be great haste on the part of Dublin Corporation last year, when it opened a truncated consultation process which gave tenants just three weeks to examine and agree on Corporation proposals for demolition of some blocks and refurbishment of the remainder, along with the building of houses. Despite the haste, the tenants are still waiting for the Government to commit funding for the Corporation' plan.
The four TDs for Dublin North West and three of them represent Government parties have indicated that they are anxious for a speedy decision and that this was likely to happen by May 1996. Yet there is still no sign of action four months on, and three years after the completion of Phase One.
It is now past time that the tenants of the Ballymun Flats were taken out of the dark and informed of the future of the estate in which they live. How much longer do we have to wait.
Yours, etc., Ballymun Branch, The Worker' Party, 37 Thomas McDonagh Tower, Ballymun, Dublin 9.