Taoiseach to take personal charge of taskforce to regenerate north inner-city Dublin

Enda Kenny is to take personal charge of a taskforce to lead a 10-year plan for the regeneration of Dublin's north inner city.

This evening the Taoiseach has announced €1.6m in extra funding for community projects in the area, as part of a new bid to rejuvenate the area.

Former Workplace Relations Commission head Kieran Mulvey will work with local representatives to compile a list of recommendations on how to do so.

It has also been announced that Fitzgibbon Street garda station will be re-opened, with work on this to commence in the second half of 2016.

Those plans will then be given to the Taoiseach's ministerial taskforce to be put into action by a panel of seven ministers.

The measures include:

* an additional €1,000,000 package of investment, in sports facilities and projects in the area - to be made available for the duration of 2016

* an extra €500,000 for small scale physical investments (focused on clean up of graffiti, derelict sites, litter) and local community and youth projects

* additional funding of €100,000 for supports for drug related projects in the area

* investment in arts-related projects

* several new initiatives to support schools and young people in the north-east inner-city