Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

He has acknowledged the folly in his Bill if it means that many communities will be left without the type of input he and I believe they should have and which they have had in many local authorities and town councils heretofore. The Minister set up a working group which will make recommendations to him, and to him alone. It will not consult with me or any other representative on Committee or Report Stage. That is a total disregard for the process in which we are engaged. I am sure there are many other Members whose constituencies are greatly affected by this Bill, which, at its core, attacks much of the local democracy to which we have become accustomed and which we wish to grow and elongate. It is very disingenuous and shows great disregard for the process in which we are engaged to consider the weight that may be given to a report that will be published next Friday. I accept that the authors of that report, on foot of the Minister's recommendations, have done much work over the last number of months, but it would have been more appropriate if the Minister had asked them to report and allow us to digest it-----

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