Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join the Minister of State in praising the staff who worked so tirelessly in recent days. He is correct in what he said. County Meath was not as badly hit as some other counties but the staff were exceptional nonetheless and I praise them for that.

Local government is an issue that is extremely close to my heart. It is of great importance to me, as spokesperson, and to my party because of the positive impact proper local government can have on people's lives. The fact that there have been debates on different aspects of local government by means of motions and Bills is very positive and is to be welcomed. I pay tribute to the Rural Independent Alliance for bringing forward this motion because all of the signatories are those of men of conviction and substance who know the value and importance of proper local government in this country.

The biggest problem is that we do not have proper local government in this country. We do not have a fully accountable local government system, certainly not one that anyone in Europe or the United States of America would understand. I know that from welcoming many European local government public representatives to County Meath. They simply cannot get their heads around the overarching reach of central government, the power of the Customs House and the powers of county and city managers over our system. That is no slight on the work of any civil servant, public servant or county or city manager - these people are the finest of men and women - it is a comment on the system, which bestows such an amount of executive power on individuals who are not elected by the people that they represent and the fact that communities in towns and counties throughout the country are expanding. I find that totally against the very essence of good local democracy. If anyone can tell me that I am wrong, he or she would want to have a long hard look at himself or herself. That is the system we have and that we persist with, and we call it democracy.

I spent 17 years as a councillor and I saw a lot of positive advances in the system. I entered local government in 1999, when Deputies were no longer allowed to be councillors and when there were powers available. It is one of the greatest disgraces that the so-called reforms introduced by the former Minister, Phil Hogan, did nothing but undermine the local government system. We set the clock back even further. We moved democracy even further away from the people we represent, destroyed town councils and spread electoral areas into constituencies that resemble Dáil constituencies in size. That is not democracy. I do not like to hear people defend those electoral areas, particularly as they have no statutory powers when it comes to the setting of rates, no statutory town budgets and no ability to raise the type of finance they could raise in the past when town councils ran surpluses. Now, counties are running up debts. The powers to which I refer are those that define whether there is proper local governance.

I despair of the current system. We should seek to bring proper local government back into place so that, as the Minister of State said, when things go right, as well as wrong, we can have people to praise as well as to criticise. Unlike the position in Europe or the US, people do not have a central port of call in which they can have confidence in terms of an administration they can call their own. People in France and Italy can immediately tell me the name of their local mayor, who has the power to appoint a mini-cabinet for the running of his or her town. If one asks a similar question as one walks around a town in Ireland, people do not know the name of the county or city manager - an individual who has so much power. One can use that as a litmus test as to whether we have a democracy that is fully accountable.

The motion before us relates to the detrimental effect of the extension of city boundaries on rural areas. However, when one reads through it, one can see that it primarily relates to Cork. The motion refers to the national planning framework and how it seems to imply that changes to county boundaries are a distinct possibility. I agree with those who proposed the motion because I fully believe that the national planning framework could end up serving to make things worse, not better, for areas of the country outside Dublin.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae spoke about how 200 and 300 jobs are being created in urban areas every day. That is not the case in my county or in many others. This is primarily happening in Dublin rather than in the large urban settlements that have developed in other parts of the country. Half of the population of County Meath is commuting to Dublin city centre each day, which is making matters worse in terms of infrastructure. The overall situation is getting worse. I had meetings with IDA Ireland earlier today and I have met enterprise boards and others in an attempt to redress matters but the capital plans are fighting against us. We are not being given a chance to try to redress the situation. The national planning framework is working hand in glove with the capital plan whereby one will inform the other so that we will not get the kind of proper infrastructural development, on the basis of a critical mass, that will allow areas to grow and realise their potential. The lack of rail infrastructure or health facilities in my county tells me all I need to know about the failure of the capital plan to deliver for my county.

I have looked at many of the boundary issues that have arisen, including that in Cork, which we are discussing, and the one in Galway. I have spoken to people on all sides. I am totally against the amalgamation of city and county councils. However, I do think Cork city should be allowed to grow. We need to strengthen bases to ensure that there is proper local governance. I am an advocate of proper local governance and I feel just as strongly about the position in Galway. I have looked at the issue there in terms of enterprise zones, roads, etc. I have also spoken to the executives in the county. The amalgamation of local authorities and the changing of boundaries have the potential to undermine local democracy. However, there are opportunities there as well that need to be examined.

Fianna Fáil has put forward reform policies under a local government regulator to oversee the reforms, make recommendations and provide independent comparisons. Our representatives in Dublin have called for directly-elected mayors to champion city areas similar to London, New York or Barcelona. The Minister of State is aware of my proposals on town councils. I was disappointed to hear his comments to the effect that he will not seek to reintroduce town councils. Such councils are the only way to have proper, full local governance.

We have an amendment which we will be pressing. I refer to amendment No. 2. I will allow my other colleagues to speak on the matter now.

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