Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to come in now and continue the discussion. The majority of people in the room are strong supporters of the concept of the directly elected mayor. The question is what is the best chance of making it happen. I think the question a number of members have put to the witnesses essentially is whether we risk putting it to a plebiscite, given that it could fail and effectively we would have no local government reform for what I think would be at least ten years. A government would be slow to return to it. Do we ignore that recommendation on a plebiscite and say to the Government that most parties in the Dáil have this in their manifesto, the Members were all elected and there is a mandate already there, so it should be legislated for? That is the question. What a number of members are saying to the witnesses is that they are the chief champions of this project, and asking what road they would recommend that the committee recommends. Mr. Gavin has effectively said that he wants us to progress and legislate. Would that be fair?