John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Taoiseach on his elevation to the office he currently holds. I wish him well in his new role. As he is aware, I introduced the Local Government Reform (Amendment) (Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin) Bill 2016 on behalf of my party last autumn and it met with much support in the House. Both Deputy Eamon Ryan and I agreed to park our two Bills at that time at the request of the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, who committed to come back with solid proposals by the end of this month. Deputy Eamon Ryan raised the matter with the Taoiseach yesterday and the response, which was that no legislation is planned or on the books, is disappointing. What is even more disappointing is a comment the Taoiseach made on the issue. During the debate on the matter last year, we discussed the difficulty of having a super-mayor over the four Dublin local authorities. What he said contrasts greatly with the comments he made to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce in December 2016 when he said, "Many of you will know that I am a passionate advocate for a single mayor and stronger local government for Dublin." That raises a number of issues. Will the Taoiseach commit to allowing Dublin people to decide for themselves by a vote in a plebiscite whether they want a mayor for their capital?

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