Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the comments he has made. I am very supportive of a directly elected mayor. Democratic accountability is a key function. The Minister of State and the other members are correct to say that it is very important to get this right. What happens will be watched by people in other parts of the State.

What is the thinking on the timing of holding a plebiscite in Dublin? The people of Dublin have not yet been given an opportunity to indicate whether they would like to have a directly elected mayor. It is important that they be given that opportunity to have their say and indicate their choice. Perhaps the Minister of State will comment on that.

In the context of getting public support for this and getting it done right, a good few people have mentioned that it was a very close vote. Has an analysis been carried out in respect of the reasons people had for voting against it? Has this fed into the drafting process? If not, does the Minister of State believe it would be worthwhile to carry out an analysis in that regard? Sometimes valuable things can be picked up from people who do not support proposals.