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

I accept Deputy Connolly's point on central government needing to show greater speed. I also accept the need for resources within our local authorities and we have to continue to review that. I will put one other point back to the Deputy. It is not just about the officials; it is also about the councillors because they are the elected representatives. They are the heart and the leaders within the council. In some of the areas it is not necessarily about financial commitment but about a sense of vision for the future and sometimes making very difficult decisions, for example, in the transport area. We do not need to go much beyond the Deputy's own city and council where that has not been possible. It has been a combination of officials but also councillors. That is not all about financing and resources. It is about being willing to take hard decisions.

Similarly in councils throughout the country, we will need real leadership around how we develop renewable power. In certain counties there is no renewable power and others, rightly, are saying they are taking it all and could we not balance this out. It is in those maps and development plans for the likes of renewable power. It is in the likes of those decisions that cannot be taken at central government level. When I had these debates in the council chambers, I would often say that no Minister for Transport will decide what is the best place for a cycle lane or a bus lane. It has to come from local leadership working with the National Transport Authority, NTA. Sometimes it is the councillors we need to count on. That is a resource we know is there. They have a real key role.

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