Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The core strategies we are adopting as part of the planning Acts will deal with the Deputy's concerns about planning matters. Equally, we have amended the corruption Acts to deal with the issues arising from the various tribunals to ensure that if people are caught, they will face a much more severe penalty than in the past. If I am devolving responsibility to elected members who have a mandate from the people, I want to see as much power vested in them as I possibly can give them. I do not want power to be centralised but localised and regionalised. One must trust those who have been elected by the people. With all due respect, what the Deputy is suggesting is that the councillors from the major parties who were members of the regional authorities were in some way contaminated and had no mandate.

We have to trust people who are elected. There will be punishment and penalties if something untoward goes on. They have to be consistent with their development plans, their regional spatial strategies and the national spatial strategy. Many checks and balances have to be adhered to. I have decided not to provide for directly elected regional assemblies at this time because I want to see what will happen in Dublin. The plebiscite on having a directly elected mayor that will take place in Dublin will have an important impact on the regional dimension of Dublin. It is obvious that the extent of the powers and responsibilities of that individual will have an impact on the regional dimension, especially on the east coast. If the people of Dublin vote in favour of having a directly elected mayor, I think it will lead to a newly invigorated regional dimension. I expect it would ultimately lead to a directly elected regional authority. That might be replicated in other parts of the country. The fundamental decision about reforming local government in the regional sense will be dictated to a fair extent by the result of the plebiscite in Dublin.