Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

Is it envisaged that the proposed regional assembly would be directly elected along with the lord mayor or whether it is simply window dressing? Is it envisaged to reform local government in a meaningful way or to just leave the four separate local authorities trundling on with a new layer of bureaucracy over them? That is what it seems to be - just an additional layer of bureaucracy. It is hugely disappointing from a Minister who proclaims a serious interest in reforming local government.

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