Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle allowing me to raise this very important issue and I am pleased that the Minister has taken the time from his busy schedule to be here to respond to the matter.

A directly elected Mayor of Dublin is at the core of Fine Gael's policies for reform of local government. The proposal is a positive step and I welcomed the Minister's announcement in this regard. So far, the Minister is heavy of rhetoric and light on detail. Coincidentally, my colleague, Deputy Leo Varadkar, raised this matter this morning on the Order of Business. The Tánaiste did not seem to be well briefed as to the Minister's plans or his time table.

The concept of a directly elected mayor for Dublin has huge potential. This person would, potentially, be responsible for and accountable to almost a third of the population of the country. It would be a hugely esteemed and important position of accountability. As we heard throughout the debate on Private Members' Time last night, there is an appetite for accountability in public life, particularly at this time.

We have not yet seen any meaningful progress on this matter. The Local Government (Dublin Mayor) Bill, which is on the Government legislative programme, is only contained in section C, Bills in respect of which heads have yet to be approved by Government. When does the Minister expect the heads of the Bill to be at a point where they could be approved by Cabinet? The plans appear to be in disarray. The heads of Bill have not been agreed but the Minister seems to be confident that elections will be held next summer. It seems to be that the Minister is hoping for the best and that things are not really moving along. The position has potential and should not be allowed to fail due to lack of planning or detail at an early stage.

The proposal can only work if it is introduced in tandem with real and meaningful local government reform, something the Minister has long espoused as being at the core of what he and his party are about. I would like to see some action on this matter. We need clarity. For example, what responsibilities will the mayor have? Can the Minister give a concrete example of the executive powers proposed for the mayor? Will the office be a smokescreen or fig leaf or will it have real and meaningful powers?

What relationship will the mayor have with the four Dublin local authorities? Most people assumed the directly elected mayor would take the place of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. It seems that will not be the case. How will we deal with three country mayors and a city mayor? Where will the mayor live? What about the Mansion House? What role will the mayor have in relation to county managers? Will the county managers be directly accountable to the mayor of Dublin? We need clarity on all these issues.

All local authorities are starved of funding. Budgets have been slashed. What budget will the mayor have? Will he or she have a budget to implement his or her own policies? Will the mayor be able to appoint people to posts of responsibility in health, environmental and waste services? Will the mayor be in a position to appoint a sort of cabinet which would be directly responsible to the mayor? We have no clarity on these issues.

Councils need to plan. A new city council and three new county councils were elected in Dublin in June of this year. How can they plan for the duration of their terms of office? Will the newly appointed mayor be in position for four years or does the Minister intend the mayoral election to take place in tandem with council elections? We need clarity in this regard.

Dublin needs a directly elected mayor. It needs a local government capable of responding to its citizens' needs. I hope that the Minister's proposals for a directly elected mayor will respond to those needs.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I thank Deputy Creighton for raising this important issue for the people of Dublin. On 12 May, I announced that the Government had decided to introduce a directly elected mayor for the Dublin region in 2010. This decision arises from a commitment in the programme for Government and from the considerations in the Green Paper on local government that I published in April 2008. A central theme of the Green Paper on local government is the need for a renewal of local democratic leadership. The Government's decision to introduce a directly elected mayor will deliver significantly strengthened leadership for the city and region, with enhanced accountability and a direct connection with the citizen.

My Department is drafting the necessary legislation and it is my intention that the mayor will be equipped with a suite of substantial powers across the functions of local government and will have the authority and power to deliver real leadership for the city and region. It is my intention that the mayor will primarily act as a strategic policy maker who will also work to integrate the activities of local government and the wider public service in and across Dublin.

The details of the mayor's responsibilities will be set out in legislation. I envisage that the mayor will have the following roles, namely, setting the framework for the future physical development of Dublin city and region by setting out regional planning guidelines by which local authorities must abide; delivering reliable, sustainable and integrated public transport by leading the Dublin Transport Authority; ensuring the delivery of an environmentally sustainable approach to waste management by proposing and overseeing the implementation of the Dublin region waste management plan; maximising the conservation and efficient use of water resources and the safe treatment of waste water through proposing and overseeing the implementation of the Dublin regional water services plan; promoting a dynamic, enterprising city region renowned for its rich culture and heritage by bringing all key public and private sectors together in a new regional development board; promoting quality housing and sustainable communities; and promoting the protection and enhancement of Dublin's environment. The mayor will primarily be responsible for strategic leadership and oversight of operational implementation. Operational matters including budgets will largely continue to be a responsibility of the Dublin local authorities, subject to close co-operation with the mayor and his or her office.

The Government's decision on the Dublin mayor marks the first phase of the transformation of local government in accordance with the programme for Government. The White Paper that I propose to publish will address a broad suite of local government development and financing matters and will be published following, inter alia, Government consideration of local government financing in light of the report of the Commission on Taxation. It will include the more detailed approach in respect of the mayor, which will be underpinned by the legislation currently in preparation. Given my intention to hold mayoral elections next year, it will be necessary to have the relevant legislation in place well in advance. To these ends, I will bring my legislative proposals to the Government in the coming weeks.

To answer one of the Deputy's questions, where the mayor lives does not matter. I lived in the Mansion House while I was Lord Mayor and Ken Livingstone lived at home. The point is to have a mayor who is not just symbolic, but who has real power.

Future elections will take place in tandem with local elections. For this reason, I would like the first term of the new mayor, whoever he or she may be, to be for four years and thereafter for five years. This is the best way to do it and is the reason I needed to introduce the legislation. The mayor's role will evolve as it did in London, where it has proven to be a significant success.