Mr. Colm Ward:

I will be brief. On the availability of the mayor, the Leas-Chathaoirleach, as former Lord Mayor of Dublin, will appreciate that diaries are set in advance and the notice was reasonably short. Apologies from Mayor Alan Edge from South Dublin because he could not be here due to his other commitments.

Deputy Higgins mentioned the plebiscite, which I mentioned in my opening statement. A binary option, for example, “Are you in favour of a directly elected mayor?”, will lead to a whole can of worms being opened. Being clear on the options and what they will mean insofar as possible is something I would highly endorse.