Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Tá sé go maith go bhfuil an deis agam labhairt ar an Bhille Rialtais Áitiúil (Méara agus Údarás Réigiúnach Bhaile Átha Cliath) mar measaim go bhfuil sé tábhachtacht in ainneoin nach bhfeicim go bhfuil an Bille seo ag dul fada go leor. Measaim go bhfuil sé tábhachtach go bhfuil plé á dhéanamh ar an Bhille seo agus ar an choincheap go mbeadh méara tofa ann do Bhaile Átha Cliath. Measaim gur cuid den déantús den údarás áitiúil a ba chóir a bheith ann le tamall maith de bhlianta ó shin agus measaim go bhfuil sé go maith chomh maith go mbeadh an toghchán ar an lá céanna agus a bheidh toghchán na hEorpa agus toghchán na n-údarás áitiúil mar measaim go bhfuil sé tábhachtach pé duine a théann isteach sa phost seo in ainneoin na bhfadhbanna atá agam leis an Bille seo go mbeadh sé nó sí gafa go huile agus go hiomlán leis an ról atá á leagan amach do mhéara Átha Cliath.

Post mór atá i gceist, seo an ceantar is mó daonra sa tír. Tá a lán de sheirbhísí na tíre lonnaithe ann agus comhlachtaí na tíre lonnaithe ann. An iomarca, tá a fhios agam a deir roinnt daoine ó lasmuigh de Bhaile Átha Cliath agus b'fhéidir go bhfuil an ceart acu. Sa deireadh thiar thall is céim chun tosaigh a ba chóir a bheith ann agus muid ag moladh go mbeadh méara tofa, faoi mar atá an Bille curtha le chéile anois, níl céim chun tosaigh mór go leor i gceist, ní bheidh an t-athrú chomh suntusach agus atá an tAire ag tuar. Measaim féin go ndearna sé iarracht ach gur theip go huile agus hiomlán air toisc nach raibh sé chomh dáiríre agus a lig sé air.

The Bill before us has been a pet project of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, for a long time. We have been led to believe throughout that it was deal-breaking legislation for the Green Party and that its passage will be vital for the continuation of that party in the coalition with the Fianna Fáil Party. I remember the promises made by the Green Party on local government reform when it was on the Opposition benches. If this Bill is the full extent of its local government reforms, its policy in this area, like many of its other policies, lies in the dustbin or is about to be consigned to the dustbin.

While the concept and policy behind the Bill may be good, the content is fundamentally flawed because it does not address the need for local government reform or the key issues of funding for and the powers and duties of local government. It will create a mayor and another layer of bureaucracy around the mayoral office which the local councils in Dublin will be required to fund out of meagre and declining resources, a decline caused not only by the recession but also continuous Government cutbacks in capital funding.

In 1977, long before I entered political office but not before I became involved in politics, Fianna Fáil abolished household rates and promised that henceforth local government would be funded from the central purse and the role of local authorities would be protected and encouraged through increasing funds from the Exchequer. This has not been the case and the pot continues to decline to the extent that it does not cover the costs of the duties, responsibilities and needs of local authorities. As any Member who tracks local authorities in Dublin and elsewhere will be aware, the greatest challenge facing local government each year is the annual estimates because local authorities have been starved of funds.

This is a weak Bill which provides for the election of a new or renewed regional authority of Dublin. It establishes the bureaucracy but will have very few powers. The powers that should be taken from the city and county managers are not being transferred to someone who is accountable to the public. The four existing councils in Dublin will be required to fund this authority from their own budgets and I take issue with the manner in which the authority will be appointed. Although its members also perhaps should be elected, instead they will be appointed from the membership of the four local authorities, with five from Dublin City Council and two each from South Dublin, Fingal and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county councils. It is clear that the places for the 15 ordinary members will be divvied up among the large parties because there is nothing to dictate how this divvying up will take place. For instance, there is not even an acknowledgement along the lines of the formula used within joint policing committees to the effect that appointments should reflect the party composition of the council or that it would be desirable for the authority to reflect all parties within the city. Moreover, given that a layer of policing committees has been established, I note there does not appear to be any role for the mayor or the regional authority with regard to policing. Although this issue must be considered, it is not in the Bill.

There are quite a number of other omissions. For instance, where is the role in respect of tourism? The logic of establishing a Dublin regional authority is that it should deal with all tourism matters handled by Dublin Tourism in the past. I attended a briefing by the city manager recently on how Dublin City Council laudably is becoming increasingly involved in trying to encourage and attract more business for the city. However, if one sets up a regional authority and a mayoral office, this should be one of the duties and responsibilities of that office. The vocational education committee is another such omission and consideration should be given to whether the mayor should have roles regarding an overarching Dublin VEC.

I have a query that again shows the absolute failure of the Green Party to deliver on what it proposes. It concerns the mechanism for by-elections, about which there has been much talk lately. The Bill provides for the holding of a by-election in the event of the death or resignation of a member but does not set the timeframe for that by-election. Surely, given the recent furore, it should be stated that in the event of a vacancy arising, a by-election should take place within a set period.

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