Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The Government has no problem with a person being a member of a town council and a local authority but the person cannot be a member of two local authorities or a Member of the Oireachtas and a member of a local authority. Those issues fall to be considered in the context of the new Bill and much of what will decide our final thinking will be the shape of Údarás na Gaeltachta following our conclusions on the study. I cannot go ahead until then. The answer to the Deputy's question is that to make a final decision on the dual mandate issue, if we want to call it that, between local authorities and Údarás na Gaeltachta ahead of deciding what Údarás will be and the powers and functions it will have is putting the cart before the horse. Until now, and it is clear from the previous legislation I brought in, I did not see a particular difficulty with being a member of both bodies but the issue arises to be considered, depending on the powers we give Údarás and the relationship — and this is the major issue that arose — between Údarás and the local authority in terms of powers.

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