Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for attending. We appreciate their time and the work they and their organisations do on a daily basis for the Dublin region.

I am a big fan of the idea of a directly elected mayor. I lived in New York city for eight years and saw at first hand how a directly elected representative of the people can have a real impact on the delivery of services and the quality of life in a big city. Ed Koch championed the regeneration of New York, Giuliani focused on the safety of the city, and Bloomberg expanded the city into Brooklyn and the other boroughs. I am a big fan of it but I have real concerns, most of which the representatives have articulated or at least called out. We are talking about making a potentially seismic change to how local government is delivered. There is a huge appetite among the public in Dublin for a significant change in energy. I say "change" but I am cautious because a huge value is placed on the local authorities and their brand, including Dublin City Council and the councils in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, south Dublin and Fingal. People identify with them and I agree with the suggestion that we need to retain those local identities.

If we were to ask people in Dublin city today what two big issues they would like to see changed, if there was a directly elected mayor, they would probably say the streets, including their cleanliness and safety, and affordable housing. In their roles, what do the representatives think are the challenges a directly elected mayor would face in trying to address either of those two distinct issues? Is there scope and opportunity for a directly elected mayor to be able to make changes on those two quality-of-life issues for people in the Dublin region? Maybe we will start with Ms Feeney, as I appreciate her remit is regional, and then come to the local authorities.