Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to start by acknowledging the little bit of history being made right now, as this is the first time this new slot for non-aligned Independents is being used. I thank the Business Committee, the Independent Group, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, and Solidarity-People Before Profit, who generously lent me time over the last year. It was significant to my constituents that I found the time to raise issues on their behalf and for that I was most grateful.

In principle, I welcome this legislation which seeks to put more power in the hands of people who are duly elected by the public to serve them, and out of the hands of the unelected executives or Ministers outside of the county. Any strides that can be made towards redirecting some of the executive powers over an area back into the hands of elected officials should be embraced fully by this House. Giving the people of Limerick more of a say into how their local authority is run and how funds are directed and spent is incredibly significant and should be celebrated. As Limerick is our nearest neighbour, I strongly welcome the decision to include the chief executive of my local authority, Clare County Council, on many of the committees that the directly elected mayor will chair. I hope that, as this Bill moves through this House and the Seanad, we will also see a seat given to the cathaoirleach of Clare County Council on these committees. It is so important that we respect our elected members in local authorities and respect the decision-making power that they have and the work that they do. The mandate they are given by being duly elected by the people is significant. This place at the table should not be underestimated. I wish the prospective candidates who are currently considering this role the very best.

On the point of hearing and, more importantly, listening to and engaging with the decision makers on a local level, I spent last Monday with the 28 duly elected members of Clare County Council. The assembled members called me and my fellow Oireachtas colleagues from Clare before them to discuss what they say is the shameful ministerial direction given by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, which cut the knees out from under our new county development plan. It was an interesting meeting where councillors from all parties and none, including the parties of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell and of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, voiced their disdain and disgust at the heavy-handed decision that will serve to block planning permission across large swathes of County Clare. The councillors, executive, Oireachtas Members, stakeholder organisations and thousands of constituents across County Clare worked painstakingly on drafting this plan and it was disgraceful for the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, to come along with his red pen and effectively erase some of the most significant provisions in the plan. I deal with constituents every single week who want to build their forever homes on their own land and they are continuously blocked from doing so by this Government. If it is not increasing the VAT on concrete products or making a hames of An Bord Pleanála, it is going after rural Ireland and making it next to impossible to get the planning permission to build a house on one's own land. The Minister of State says the Government is committed to Housing for All. Clare says "Don't make us laugh". Due to the ministerial order, around 113 km of national roads in County Clare are now no longer viable sites for new house building. Some 105 of those are in the west Clare municipal district. This is yet another example of anti-rural policy by this Government, which seems adamant about starving communities in my constituency of basic services and now blocking people from building their own house on their own land. In the words of the councillors, it is now not the Clare county development plan but instead is the plan of the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR.

We also heard from Macra na Feirme, which outlined that only 6% of farmers are under 35 and that while we are trying to ensure that young farmers are incentivised as much as humanly possible to consider farming as their career path, at the same time we are also hearing from such young farmers that they cannot build their own homes. Some have to rent properties that are not on their farmland. A particular example was given of a young couple with a new baby, who had applied for planning permission on two separate occasions, with serious amendments that should have been considered, but they could still could not get it over the line. The pressure that this situation is putting on a young family is not sustainable or right. Another example was given of a different couple. He is a farmer, and she is a GP. They applied under his name and were refused. They were told to go again under her name, and the planning permission was approved, as the local need was established. In this case again, time was wasted.

A total of five villages in Clare have no wastewater systems. The major concern is that this instrument will see no progress for these five villages. Two were earmarked for inclusion in the Government pilot scheme, namely, Broadford and Cooraclare but it seems that the writing may be on the wall and that the Government will not include them. The Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell's, Government colleague outlined that the decision will be announced on 9 October. I hope and appeal to Minister of State to make good on previous commitments made in principle.

I welcome this step forward for Limerick. I hope the Minister will see sense when it comes to County Clare and not insist on stagnating our county's development and, importantly, not stagnating the development of west Clare. I appeal to the Minister of State to reverse his decision and review the submissions once again, taking into account the rise in the population that was not factored in. County Clare must be given equity.

Regarding the Bill at hand, I struggle with the transfer of the role of the priomh-comhairleor and why the directly elected mayor cannot also occupy this role. I fear it could result in a power struggle. To be honest, it could also incur unnecessary expense. This Bill is a welcome draft but I believe there is some work to be done on Committee Stage to tighten up some of the relationships between the mayor, the priomh-comhairleor, and the director general.

I welcome the proposal of a mayoral programme. It is important that as this is the first time we are embarking on something like this, we can see and appraise the new mayor's intentions. It would be very healthy as part of this endeavour to see the mayor set out his or her stall for all to see. The power of the directly elected mayor to redistribute priorities and a director of services is something that greatly interests me. Through the proactive work of the chief executive in Clare, we have an entire directorate covering rural and community development, which is essential for an area like Clare. We have seen wonderful work coming out of that decision. The ability of a mayor to run on a platform and then be able to deliver an entire directorate of services to cover that issue is hugely significant. I am hopeful that it will encourage a campaign based on experience and serious priorities, as opposed to celebrity or prestige.

The Bill is historic and I want to commend the work of all involved. As a Limerick man, I am sure it is a proud day for the Minister of State, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, the former Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, and all of those who campaigned for this to finally see the vision moving a step forward and be realised. It is very exciting to play a small part in this process as a Member of the House. The Bill is by no means perfect, but we will fine tune it and make the process the best and most inclusive it can be.

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