I wish to raise an issue with the Taoiseach which, unlike Brexit, is within our own control. The issue relates to Tipperary town. On 24 October and 20 November, thousands of men, women and their children, young and old, marched through Tipperary town to ask local government and national Government to help to put the place back on track. I attended both of those marches and I was struck by the genuine plea for help from decent people. They want help to rejuvenate a once great town. People were on the streets protesting at the years of accumulated neglect. They feel disillusioned and angry with the authorities of the State. Based on a Pobal report that drew on the 2016 census, it is a fact that the town has been identified as disadvantaged. The startling figures for unemployment in Tipperary are a damning indictment of the Government and those which preceded it. There is 31% unemployment among males and 23% among females. When these figures are compared with the national average of 5.6% one can see how big the problem is. Some 20 years ago, Tipperary town was one of Ireland's leading market towns. Despite its current problems, it still has an enormous amount to offer and to work with. It is imperative that the inner relief roads are built as a priority to get the heavy vehicles off the main street, which will soon be completely resurfaced. The business community requires that its members' financial situation be taken into account when it comes to rates, levies and charges.

The one principle lacking in Tipperary is leadership with a vision for the future. All of our national agencies are aware of the problems in Tipperary and some of these agencies, including the county council, have resources available to assist the town but there is no overall plan that can be implemented. Efforts are disjointed and are not co-ordinated. Decision-making is choked by bureaucracy and stifled by the round-robin system within our State agencies. A new approach involving joined-up thinking is required.

We need a strategy and a plan to reinvigorate Tipperary town. The five primary schools in the town need extra resources for their pupils to tackle the cycle of disadvantage. I compliment and thank the Minister, Deputy McHugh, for his recent initiative in that regard. I ask the Taoiseach to nominate a figure with professional experience and competence to establish and lead a dedicated working group. This individual would bring together all relevant State agencies, local business and interest groups and would be capable of delivering a renewal plan for the town. What Tipperary needs is a new policy, new ideas and investment. Change is needed to secure the future of Tipperary town and its people.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue again. I am very much aware of the protests that have occurred in recent months. A turnout of 2,000 or 3,000 people to protest in what is a relatively small town is a huge number and reflects the depth of feeling that people in Tipperary town have about the decline of their town over the years. It is a concern that everyone on these benches very much shares. The Government has been engaged on this issue. As the Deputy knows and, indeed, at his invitation, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, met the principals of the five schools in Tipperary town to see what could be achieved in terms of additional supports, particularly recognising the disadvantage that exists in Tipperary town but also the influx of new communities, often people who do not have English as their first language, and the additional needs that they have. In terms of unemployment, while it is high, it is falling. Since it peaked in 2012, unemployment in Tipperary town has fallen by 52%, by more than half, and youth unemployment has fallen by two thirds, by 68%.

IDA Ireland is also engaged. There are now 11 IDA Ireland companies in Tipperary, employing 3,600 people, and there are 123 Enterprise Ireland, EI, client companies. Funding has been provided directly in recent months for Tipperary town, including a €97,500 grant for the town centre plaza project to upgrade the town centre, which the Deputy mentioned. Funding has also been provided for Tipperary town football club and other sporting clubs in the area. There has been an increase in the strength of the Tipperary Garda division by more than 40 in the last couple of years. I think it is fair to say that Government has been engaged at least in certain aspects of what is needed in Tipperary town.

The Deputy is correct that a new approach is needed and that a plan is needed for the town but that has to be locally led. There are lots of areas of need in the country and many pockets of disadvantage, including many in my own constituency. The right approach with few exceptions - in fact, only one exception because of the number of murders in the north-east inner city - is one that is local authority led and bottom up. A very good approach that I think could be modelled is what is being done in the Inchicore-Kilmainham area in Dublin or what is being done in the Balbriggan area under the remit of Fingal County Council, which is for the local authority to identify somebody to develop a plan and then to engage with Government on it. I think that would be the best approach.

I would appreciate if the Taoiseach would communicate the interest of Government and ask the local authority to lead such a group and that it be the lead agency and co-ordinate the other State agencies and the relevant business and local communities. The other aspect of this is that Tipperary town is situated on the N25 and it is approximately 35 minutes' drive to Limerick city. Historically, Tipperary town has been hubbed with Waterford and that has worked to the disadvantage of Tipperary. There are very obvious logistical and strategic reasons that it should be declared and treated as a hub of Limerick rather than Waterford. That should be put into the equation.

I appreciate the fact that money is being spent on regeneration projects. These one-off projects are welcome and make a valuable contribution. However, that type of project should be the centrepiece of a range of other initiatives and measures and they can only be put in place if there is a co-ordinated group working under the leadership of somebody in control. I ask the Taoiseach to communicate that to Tipperary County Council and ask it to appoint somebody to fulfil this leadership role.

It is certainly evident to me that Tipperary town is in the natural hinterland of Limerick city and I imagine many more people commute to work from Tipperary town to Limerick than commute from Tipperary town to Waterford. That certainly makes sense to me. What is required is a plan for the town and somebody to drive it forward. I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy English, who has responsibility for planning. I will ask him to make contact with the local authority to see what can be done. We have models around the country where something similar has been done. We are starting such a project in the Inchicore-Kilmainham area. As I mentioned, Fingal County Council has been developing a plan for Balbriggan. I imagine there are many more examples around the country where similar things have been done. Given the depth and strength of feeling about the issue, it is appropriate that it be done in Tipperary town also. I will make contact with the Minister of State, Deputy English, this week to set the ball rolling.