Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I put it to the Minister again as it concerns me that in the last election for the European Parliament one could not be a Member of the European Parliament and a Member of the Dáil. It was not practical or possible but even now, if a Member of the Dáil stands for the European Parliament and he or she is elected, he or she must cease membership of the Dáil on the day he or she is elected to the European Parliament.

I am aware the Minister is currently drafting the Bill in regard to Údarás and the Údarás elections to bring it before the Oireachtas. I understand he may be considering giving further powers to Údarás members — the Minister can confirm or deny that — in terms of planning, something I would not disagree with. There is no reason an Údarás board should not deal with the planning applications. In some cases, similar to central Government, some members of local authorities do not have an understanding of the Údarás, rural areas and rural life. It might not be a bad thing to return some of those powers back to the people instead of taking them away from them.

As a member of a Government that introduced and then abolished the dual mandate in respect of Dáil and Europe and a member of the Dáil and the county council, is it hypocritical for the Government to say, on the one hand, that people cannot be a Member of the Dáil and a local authority while, on the other, it is fine to be a member of a county council and the Údarás? The Minister might answer that straight question.

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