Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

That is a valid approach with which I agree. I found the local area committees really worked when I was a councillor. That was an innovation introduced in 1997. I agree the local structures need to work but I do not believe we should get rid of the four existing Dublin councils. We should be strengthening that local tier at the same time as we create the city mayor.

We welcome the fact the Government will allow this Bill through Second Stage. I would prefer if the Opposition got together on the various Bills in this area. We could easily have managed to develop the legislation over the next six months. We would have agreed to Deputy John Lahart's proposal for a plebiscite. We do not have to go through the Government.

In this supposedly new politics arena, we should encourage a mechanism whereby the Opposition can genuinely present serious legislation, which is what we are doing here, and have the chance of getting it passed. If the public administration or the larger political parties do not like small parties putting forward serious legislation, then we do not have new politics. Instead, we have the same old politics, particularly in this case, with the two large parties working together but not with the rest of the Opposition to put a Bill through.

See this speech in context