Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We dealt with a similar petition once before and the matter has come before us again. I have had the pleasure to meet the group on a number of occasions. There are a number of things at issue, the first of which is the abolition of the old borough council in Drogheda. Drogheda is an historical town with a proud tradition and the removal of statutory powers from the borough council was abhorrent, as it was in the case of my town of Navan. The removal of borough council status resulted in the removal of the managerial structure, which meant that there were no specific engineering staff for Drogheda, as well as no specfic budgetary policy. That was the wrong decision for a town the size of Drogheda.

The second issue is that a significant part of Drogheda sprawls into County Meath. Drogheda is the base for commercial activity and educational purposes for people living in parts of County Meath within the boundaries of Meath County Council.

The petition is specific in seeking city status for Drogheda.

On the interim measures, I acknowledge that the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, has come forward with proposals, not just for this part of Meath and Louth, in terms of Drogheda, but other areas where there is urban sprawl from a main town into an adjoining county. That was pulled from the legislation that we dealt with just after Christmas, in respect of creating urban area committees. There is huge potential for us, as legislators, to consider that option in order that we can get cohesive planning because bad planning has happened in the past by just natural sprawl. We must ensure that citizens who live in these areas of sprawl get the services that they require, which should be the focus of everything that drives us, regardless of whether one lives on the Meath or Louth side, the Kilkenny or Waterford side or the Roscommon or Westmeath side, in deference to my colleague seated beside me, Deputy Eugene Murphy. We must look after these citizens and ensure they get a good deal for the town in which they live.

In respect of the campaign here, I note the presence of my colleague, Deputy O'Dowd. He is an advocate for the town of Drogheda and a former member of the local council. I also note that the town is naturally growing. In terms of its status, I have an issue, which I have conveyed to the committee and publically as well, with statistics being used in the composition of the overall figures that would take in not just part of the coastal area of Meath but the wider hinterland of Meath into Duleek and so forth. I have a problem with the practice that I have articulated. There is a way forward for the people of Drogheda, as a proud town, to obtain what they want but I reiterate, as a representative of the county of Meath, that parts of Meath cannot be annexed in order to achieve that goal.