Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in the welcome for the county managers. To play devil's advocate, which is a role I never like filling, there is a perception that this reform at local government level is mainly at the expense of the elected representative - in other words, the councillor - and of the front-line services - in other words, the people who are delivering services for the county councils such as road workers and front-line staff - while management has escaped. It is a bit of an Irish solution to an Irish problem and, in my own case, a Tipperary solution to a Tipperary problem. This is because, despite the amalgamation of the two county councils in north and south Tipperary, there will be no real difference because half of the services will be delivered from Clonmel and half from Nenagh, and the management stays the same, although the councillors and the outdoor staff will be reduced in numbers. The witnesses might like to dispel that perception or give their reaction to it. Where savings are to be made is an important issue, but this should not be solely at the expense of the elected representatives and the front-line staff.