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

The Taoiseach said last week that the people of Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway will be able to vote for their own directly-elected mayor. Will the Taoiseach outline if that is due to go to a plebiscite in each of those cities this October, or will that just proceed because the Government has made a call on it? When will we know what the powers and structures for that office will be?

The Taoiseach said he will create a Citizens' Assembly to look at the position of the mayor of Dublin. We did something similar ten years ago. It was not a Citizens' Assembly, but involved people within the political system. I put it to the Taoiseach that he should do something similar on this occasion. As well as including citizens, it should involve people from the political system because no one else knows how local authorities work as well as those who have worked in them. It could also include public officials. If an assembly will be established, it should comprise a mix of citizens, people from the political system and public administrators.

Does the Taoiseach believe the recommendations of such an assembly would only be implemented in 2024 or 2025, or what is the timeline for that proposal?

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