David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The national planning framework identifies a number of regional cities in which population growth of about 50% to 60% is envisaged. I refer to the map of the regional cities, including Galway city, Limerick city, Cork city and Waterford city. Looking at the divisional boundaries proposed, Galway and Limerick retain their divisions, city and county, and Cork city retains its division but Waterford, which is a regional city and identified as such in the national planning framework, amalgamates with Kilkenny and Carlow. Why was that decision made? Why does Waterford not retain its stand-alone division like other regional cities? Why are Limerick, which is of a comparable size, and even Kerry, which is not a regional city identified in the national framework, retaining stand-alone divisions and Waterford not? Was there a particular reason for that?