Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The electorate has to take the local and European elections very seriously, but that is a debate for another day. In bringing forward the office of a directly elected mayor, it is very important that there is no duplication and no waste because the public will not tolerate it. The experience of the establishment of the HSE and Irish Water has left a very sour taste in the mouths of citizens and, indeed, of all of us. Citizens will need to be assured that the office is necessary and that scarce resources are not being squandered. The message is clear: no waste, no duplication, no unnecessary bureaucracy, and no exorbitant salaries.

I will finish up on this point. If somebody wants to invest in Dublin or has a major proposal for Dublin, who does he or she ring? That is very unclear at this point in time. A directly elected mayor would give leadership, bring forward accountability, as Deputy Lahart has outlined, and give the city a profile, which is very important. We have had the examples of other directly elected mayors throughout Europe and the world outlined to us in this debate. Those are the key issues. I want the Minister of State to continue with his consultations. I am disappointed that the question of a mayor for Dublin has not been advanced further at this stage, but we will also give input into the debate and we look forward to receiving the Minister of State's renewed proposals in due course.

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