John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With regard to what Deputy Fitzmaurice said, the Limerick example is what I would hope will happen in Galway. There is a geographic issue in Galway. It is a huge county. Deputy Connolly mentioned this on Second Stage. The geographic area will not change much. The population is obviously changing. How do we ensure that we create a powerhouse on the west coast? I would see a united local authority as being a leading part in transforming the fortunes, particularly of County Galway. Many of those towns and villages have become dormitory towns. Their centres are gone because people are doing their shopping and business in Galway city. That is an argument in itself for having a single, unified local authority. I do not know if Deputy Connolly is necessarily aiming this at me. Bigger is not necessarily better. When one looks at the county and city of Galway, where the city is doing okay and the county has, in certain areas, suffered for a long time, it is partly due to funding of the local authority but partly due to planning and the lack of retail, business and infrastructure in those towns and villages in County Galway. I think a unified local authority will benefit those places that have become dormitory towns which we want to become functioning towns again in the future. That is the purpose of the Galway change from my point of view. I do not want to be seen as bullying anything through. Deputy Ó Cuív mentioned it and threatened grief on me afterwards. There is no attempt to bully.