'I don’t mind what it’s called, but I do intend for it to be delivered,' Tánaiste says on Cork taskforce

Tánaiste Simon Harris has reiterated his desire to see a special taskforce established that is dedicated to the revival of Cork’s city centre, adding that he has already had an informal meeting with the CEO of Cork City Council.

Plans for such a taskforce were included in the programme for government, and in June Mr Harris told The Echo he was anxious that it go ahead by the end of this year.

Last month, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told his fellow Cork South Central Fianna Fáil TD, Seamus McGrath, that a group would be set up to examine the terms of reference of such a body.

However, he added: “People do not like the word ‘taskforce’ in Cork — we are kind of fussy — so they are looking for a different title because the city has made progress.”

Speaking to The Echo in Macroom, where he had performed the official opening of Fine Gael senator Eileen Lynch’s new constituency office, Mr Harris repeated his desire that such a taskforce be established.

“I don’t mind what it’s called, but I do intend for it to be delivered,” he said.

“It’s in the programme for government, it’s also in the new housing plan, [which] specifically references a Cork taskforce.”

When Mr Harris was taoiseach, he established a Dublin city centre taskforce which, he said, had resulted in clear benefits for the capital, and he believed such a group would be equally beneficial to the Republic’s second city.

He added that he had had “an informal word” with Cork City Council CEO Valerie O’Sullivan earlier this week at the Cork Chamber Dublin dinner.

“I committed to coming down and visiting the senior management in Cork City Council for a general briefing on where Cork is at, and I said to her I’m very eager to get the taskforce set up, and the chief executive did make the point to me that there was, she thought, already a lot of work done, and a lot of initiatives underway,” the Tánaiste said.

“We need a taskforce for Cork, but obviously it’s not imposing something that we’ve done in Dublin on Cork, it’s about finding a structured way that works for Cork.”

He conceded that the taskforce would not now happen in 2025 but said he felt it had to happen next year and he hoped his meeting with Cork City Council would be early in the New Year.

Asked about the omission of funding for Cork light rail in this week’s National Development Plan review, Mr Harris said it would not be the last word on funding.

“I don’t actually believe funding will be our challenge for the next several years as a country in terms of capital, it will actually be about delivery,” he said.