Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the words of those who have been kind enough to raise the matter with me. As we all know, the Local Government (Mayor and Regional Authority of Dublin) Bill 2010 will create a new directly elected office of the mayor of Dublin within the current local government framework. The Bill sets out the criteria for the eligibility of candidates and other electoral matters. It provides that the mayor will have specific powers with regard to regional strategy on planning, transport, water and waste services. The Bill also deals with the establishment, powers and responsibilities of the regional authority of Dublin, which I understand will be chaired by the directly elected mayor. The regional authority will replace the Dublin regional authority.

The reaction to the introduction of this legislation has been varied. I suppose the jury is still out on it. As a member of Fianna Fáil, I will support this Bill as an element of the programme for Government. Nobody should misinterpret the fact that I am speaking from behind the Labour Party benches, as this is where I sit. The election of a directly elected mayor is one aspect of the local government reforms set out in the 2007 programme for Government, to which I strongly subscribe. I am aware that the Green Paper on Local Government, Stronger Local Democracy: Options for Change, was published in April 2008. It outlines the options for the direct election of the mayor of Dublin. In May 2009, the Government announced its decision to introduce a directly elected mayor for the Dublin region in 2010, which was a year earlier than previously proposed. I understand that a Cabinet committee is currently finalising the policy decisions that will be contained in the White Paper.

This Bill was published last month by our colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley. On the day of its publication, the Minister said, "the election of the Dublin mayor will be the most significant change in Irish local government since the 19th century". I do not refer to the Minister's comments to upset my colleagues from rural constituencies. I should state, in case people cannot recognise it from my accent, that I am a proud Dubliner. I was not born in Tallaght, strangely enough, but in Holles Street, which is near Leinster House in the city centre. I lived in Stephen Street with my family and went to school in Clarendon Street. I moved to Tallaght 40 years ago. Deputy Upton often reminds me that I spent a considerable part of my formative years in Crumlin.

I might not have emerged as a Fianna Fáil member were it not for my experiences in the constituency shared by Deputies Upton, Ó Snodaigh and others. I will not deny my Dublin roots.

As the Minister stated:

The citizens of Dublin will elect a local government leader equipped with a democratic mandate unsurpassed in the history of the city. The Mayor will be elected to drive improvements and efficiencies in the Region's local government, and will champion Dublin, at home and abroad, as a good place to live, work and invest.

I understand that a directly elected mayor "will also deliver significantly strengthened leadership for the city and region, with enhanced accountability and a direct connection with the citizen, thereby reinvigorating local government".

I feel strongly about the development of local government in my city and in my region. I was not born a politician nor did I set out to be one but when I moved to Tallaght, I became involved in local issues. I pointed out at a committee meeting yesterday that the then parish priest of Springfield, Dr. Richard Sherry, did not share my politics. One does not usually know the politics of a priest but he told me about his. I do not know if this will embarrass him in his retirement in Donnybrook but he was the man who first suggested to me that some day I might make a reasonable politician and he appointed me to the local school board.

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