Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

I wish to comment on what Deputies Tuffy and Anne Ferris said. The HSE and the National Roads Authority have grown into monsters and are out of control. The Government cannot tell them what to do anymore; they are not answerable. It would be great if this Government brought power back to the House. I agree with what Deputy Stagg said about quangos, as I did last night. This notion of setting up these unelected, unaccountable bodies and paying people stupid money is nonsense. Power in this regard should also be brought back to the Parliament.

Deputy Tuffy mentioned backbenchers. It would be great if Parliament was more inclusive, and I agree with what she said in that regard. Some 76 new Deputies were elected in the last general election and there is a fair bit of frustration among many of them and a feeling that they are not playing an active role in what is happening in the House. I can understand members of Fine Gael and the Labour Party being very frustrated. The Technical Group seems to be getting a fairer crack of the whip than the backbenchers in Fine Gael and the Labour Party. We all have a mandate and were sent here by the people and we all should play an active role in what goes on.

For a number of years this country has been much too centralised. It is probably one of the most centralised countries in western Europe. Power is very much in the hands of a few. Currently, it is difficult for Parliament to hold the Executive to account because of the way things are structured. It would be great if the new coalition Government had the honesty to tackle this issue in a positive way.

There is a complete lack of local government due to this centralisation. We do not have real local government. The councillors elected to local government in my constituency, and throughout the State, are not placed in a decision-making role. Instead we have civil servants making decisions and it is too bad if people do not like those decisions because the civil servants will still be there after the next election. If that role were given to elected local representatives, we could throw them out at the next election if we do not like how they behave. Some people argue that there is greater expertise in the Civil Service and that councillors cannot be trusted on certain matters. The electorate needs to grow up in this regard and to stop electing people who are not competent to make decisions at local government level. If we change the structure of local government, citizens will have to be responsible and make sure they elect people of quality who are capable of fulfilling their role in a positive way.

Placing elected councillors in charge of the decision-making process will ensure a greater link between them and the people who elect them. Democracy is lacking in local government, with citizens having little say in how they are governed or in decisions made in their name. There is only a pretence at consultations with citizens. In my constituency, for example, a group of civil servants, consultants and engineers came up with eight options for a bypass of Wexford town. These options were set out in a map which was put on display to the public. For six or 12 months people fought about it and protested about it going through their lands. The decision makers eventually imposed the route which suited them best. That is not consultation. Local people had no say in the final route or even any of the options.

Making the options available to the public in cases like these and letting people argue over them for a period of time is not good enough. Consultation would involve engaging the public before any routes are planned. Apart from civil servants, we have a significant over-usage of consultants in the planning process. When I was seeking planning permission to build the Wexford Youths complex in Ferrycarrig I had to make five applications before I eventually obtained all the permissions I required. Members would hardly believe how many consultants' reports I had to provide, none of which was cheap. I had to provide four different road surveys and traffic reports on the back road into the complex. I had to do reports on how the development would affect plant life and animal life and also had to supply water treatment reports.

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