Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

The Minister's response is a wee bit flowery. I know he will respond by saying that the specifics will be in the legislation, but at this stage we need to put some meat on the bones because several questions need to be answered even before we reach the legislative stage. For example, what are the powers of this proposed mayor in respect of rezoning and the draft development plan, a power that county councillors hold under a statutory instrument? How will the mayor affect this process? Questions arise about staffing, salary, the expense of creating the office, the term of the office and powers. There is an onus on us to put this up for debate because there are many questions. One might ask why I, as a Donegal man, am asking about the Dublin mayor but I want to know if this will be rolled out nationally. Will Dublin be a pilot? Will Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, and Cork all have directly elected mayors? If the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is still in office in 2010 when the mayor is elected, what will his relationship be with the mayor? Many questions need to be answered.

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