Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I could be harsher. I am being a diplomat today. It has been recommended that this committee should wait for the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government's upcoming report on local government structures. Quite frankly, that report will not go far enough to address the deficiencies that exist. Having tabled parliamentary questions on this matter - indeed, I have tackled the Taoiseach on it - it is clear to me that statutory planning and budgetary powers will not be restored to the five old borough councils that existed. The potential exists for three new boroughs, including my home town of Navan, to come under the auspices of this plan because they exceed the threshold of 30,000 people. The current arrangements are unacceptable because an authority that does not have statutory budgetary and planning powers is not an efficient local forum for the people it represents. More worryingly, I understand the Department's upcoming report will consider whether the new directly elected mayor for Dublin should have executive powers over parts of counties Meath, Wicklow and Kildare. As I said clearly to the Taoiseach last week, under no circumstances will any directly elected mayor ever get executive control over parts of County Meath.

As I have said to the members of the Drogheda city status group, the petition before the committee, which is based on the premise that population statistics should be used, is flawed because it includes residents and citizens of County Meath in coastal areas like Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington. I have advised them not to take parts of another county to form part of their petition in order to attain the end result they want. I support the people of Drogheda in calling for stronger local government. It is a town I know well because it is close to my home town of Navan. I have worked in that town for the Drogheda Independentgroup. It is a great town that deserves strong local government, but not at the expense of the annexation of coastal areas of County Meath in order to strengthen the argument. On that basis, I believe the petition is flawed. The people of Drogheda should make their case in their own right without resorting to taking coastal areas of County Meath. I think the case for Drogheda is strong enough in its own right. I would support the call being made by the Drogheda city status group if it were based purely on the town of Drogheda. However, I cannot support it as long as it is bumping up Drogheda's numbers by taking parts of County Meath.