Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will need to go elsewhere for that answer. Can I just pull the witness up here? The Cathaoirleach and I have picked up on something that was said about the body that deals with all the local authorities, which is the County and City Management Association. The last time we looked we were living in a democracy. It is quite extraordinary that there is no engagement with the people who are elected. It might be worth considering that there would be engagement between the associations and the councillors, where I do not believe there currently is any. If we were in another jurisdiction with a properly functioning local government system that is where the SEAI would go first. I am sorry but it is a soapbox that some of us have. It pretty much underscores that we have a system of local administration as opposed to a system local government. Sorry for the soapbox.