Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill. This legislation provides for the introduction of a directly elected mayor of Dublin supported by a new, strengthened regional authority of Dublin. We will have a directly elected mayor of Dublin with executive functions by 2011 on the basis of a commitment in the programme for Government. In the Green Paper published in April 2008, Fianna Fáil suggested the needs of Dublin would be met with a directly elected mayor covering the four Dublin local authority areas - the Dublin region - and having a strategic role in areas such as regional planning, water services, waste management and housing.

I welcome this Bill because there are difficulties in local government. I could talk about County Galway as other Members have talked about the shortcomings in Dublin City and County Dublin. Many of the aspects of this Bill are technical in that they refer to the criteria for eligibility of candidates and other election matters. The legislation provides specific power to the mayor in respect of regional strategy and planning, transport and water and waste services. The Bill also deals with the establishment, powers and responsibilities of the regional authority of Dublin, which will be chaired by the mayor of Dublin. The regional authority of Dublin will replace the Dublin regional authority.

I was a member of Galway County Council for 17 years and I was glad to be a member of the Galway-Mayo regional development authority. As chairman of Galway County Council in 1985, I was vice-chairman of the body. We worked closely with our colleagues in Mayo to promote the best interests of the people in the two counties, particularly in the area of tourism. A regional organisation is a good idea. It is not the premier tier of local government. In its submission for the White Paper, Fianna Fáil said it believed in a three-tier system with the city or county council as the first tier, a sub-county structure and regional bodies. The regional authority is important in respect of the national spatial strategy. The county or city council is the tier with which most people are in contact.

The county council delivers services and in many cases raises finance. Local authorities are looking at new areas where they might raise finance. One should not forget the sub-county structure. The Fianna Fáil Party would like to see new town and district councils having important functions, particularly functions such as being a one-stop-shop for all local government services at local and county level. Some town councils have responsibility for housing and planning; others do not. They fulfil an important role in serving the people of those towns. We have proposed municipal councils in larger urban areas. That is another important issue.

We are dealing with the regional level in this debate. We have not had a strong regional government system in this country, which is sad. We need a coherent perspective on each region and a good approach to strategic planning in these areas. That we are not well-organised at regional level has not helped social or economic development. In this Bill the Minister is considering not only the mayor's position but that of the regional authority.

Some areas of responsibility can be added to those outlined by the Minister in the Bill, as provided for in the legislation. Roads, water services, planning and development and waste management are important for every county. I expect there would be a broad welcome in every part of the country for those issues to be considered on a regional basis.

Many speakers referred to water supplies. When the former Deputy, Mr. Gay Mitchell, MEP, was a Member he spoke frequently and warned about the danger of the shortage of water in Dublin. We had a great proposal to bring water from the Shannon to Dublin. People in rural areas might have a say about what will happen in that regard in the future.

Dublin is our capital city and it has great potential for growth. What happens there has an impact on the people of the city and the country as a whole. Areas are mutually dependent. In the information I received from the Library & Research Service there is a reference to the fact that the mayor may transfer a function such as water supply from one local authority to another. The Bill also gives power to the mayor to transfer property from one local authority to another. Issues arise in regard to water. Water supply has been a problem and has inhibited development of the national spatial strategy. The Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, is aware of the many issues I have raised with him on water, waste water and how one provides for it.

A similar situation arises in terms of waste management. I understood there would be co-operation between local authorities on the matter. I am disappointed that in some cases where a landfill is provided in one part of a county the proposals on thermal treatment have never gone ahead. That has been a problem. Galway City Council has made very little attempt to provide thermal treatment. It is disappointing that landfill is the only proposal that is considered.

Another important consideration in terms of regional authorities and regional development is the need to have a gateway city as part of the region. Dublin has that, as does the Galway region in the west. If there is a successful conclusion to the Bill other cities both in this country and abroad would be keen to have a directly elected mayor. We have had much discussion about the situation in London. The mayoralty of London has been given much publicity principally because of the colourful people in the office. They are competent people too. The London mayoral elections resulted in much publicity. That has been one of the hallmarks of the mayoralty in London.

I welcome the accountability element of the Bill, which is important. However, I did not find the financing arrangements to be clearly set out. I referred previously to the fact that the county or city council would be the premier tier of local government. They are the bodies that collect money such as rates or other proposed forms of funding, for example, the plastic bag tax, other levies and perhaps a water charge based on metered usage. All those options are open to city or county councils. We will have further debate on the question of how a regional authority would be funded.

I welcome in particular the fact that economic development of the city would be an important part of the focus of a mayor. That is very much the case in London. County enterprise boards exist in most counties. They have done much good work in helping small and medium businesses. I hope they will be allowed to continue their work. They have worked closely with FÁS to try to help companies get funding and get started. I hope they will still be able to do that.

In one of the documents I received there was a reference to the population of Dublin in the four existing local authorities being 851,519 people. The statistic is based on the figures for the 2009 local election. A city with such a population is deserving of a mayor. The turnout in the poll was 49%, which is 419,599 people. Many cities throughout the world have made more progress because they have introduced local government reform and that they have a mayor driving forward policies on behalf of the city. A directly elected mayor raises the profile of a city. That is very much the case with London and all the other cities to which the Minister of State, Deputy Cuffe, referred.

New measures are to be introduced in the Bill. A section deals with additional functions. When Members of the House or Ministers come up with ideas they should also provide funding proposals. Local authority members have often complained to me of their concern in that regard. I hope discussion will take place between the Minister, his departmental officials and the various local authorities because they have a major role to play. Local authorities have the prime responsibility. Regional authorities would need to know what their role would be.

I am disappointed that only two sections deal with housing. In the context of the housing we have provided in this country and the ghost estates it should be borne in mind that there is a shortage of housing in many cities. For example, there is a long housing waiting list in Galway. I am sure the same is true of Dublin and other cities. We must be more proactive in terms of providing housing. The Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, has made proposals on long-term leasing. The rental accommodation scheme, RAS, scheme is very good. I hope local authorities will take up those schemes. We must do more in that regard.

Part 4 refers to transport which is an important area. Great progress has been made in Dublin. I refer to the success of the Dublin bike scheme, for example. I would like to see that replicated in other cities. Great progress has been made in terms of various projects such as the DART, Luas and now metro and I would like other towns and cities to develop such projects as well. We have managed to get bus lanes in many cities, which we did not think was possible. It is only a small step but it is welcome.

The Bill is a start. I am disappointed that people are saying it is not the right time. If Donogh O'Malley had listened to the pessimists who said it was not the right time for free education we would not have made progress. There is no point in making the argument that it is not the right time to have a directly elected mayor. It will raise the profile of Dublin. When the proposals are explained and improved on by the addition of other functions I hope there will be a general welcome for the Bill.

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