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

The answers touch on something important. If a directly elected mayor is going to make a difference, not only does he or she need powers and competencies but he or she will also need to have access to funding. If a mayor is going to add value on active travel, it has got to be because someone runs for election as mayor, says that active travel is going to be a priority and is then able to invest extra resources in active travel. If the mayor is able to lobby for extra resources from central government, that will be great but without the ability to prioritise an area and say that by the end of the five-year term, delivery in this area will be accelerated through the provision of extra resources, then it is hard to see what the extra value would be. If a mayor is able to do that, however, then we could see quicker delivery. That is the difference that a directly elected mayor could potentially make. The mayor's office has to be bringing something extra, providing extra value, in order to be useful. Otherwise, it could just be another layer.