Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I congratulate the Tánaiste on managing to gloss over the fact that her party lost 25% of its city and council councillors in the local elections last week. In regard to local government, the local government rates Bill was first promised in October 2003, it was to be approved by the end of 2003 and is now promised for 2005. Given that we now have a new set of councils throughout the country, it might be in order to pass this Bill to ensure the new councils, from the passing of their first set of estimates, will operate under a new and proper set of guidelines.

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