John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

-----on the introduction of a Dublin mayor. The document overstates anticipated expenditure considerably. For example, an estimate of not less than €1 million in consultants' fees to assist with a mayoral strategy is cited. There is no basis whatsoever to conclude that consultants would even be required to produce such a document. A figure of €1 million is misleading in the extreme. The Deputy should bear in mind - I hope he will never cite this document again - that Fingal County Council issued a press release stating:

Some personal conjecture regarding the cost of running the Mayoral Office and the wider implications of the proposal was inappropriately contained in this report. Any confusion or misunderstanding caused is regretted.

I hope that future debate on a mayoral office will be based on the facts and not any hostile or adversarial conjecture.

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