Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister. This debate has been flogged to death and I thank the Minister for putting it to bed once and for all. It started in 1990 when Ministers and Ministers of State were prohibited from holding a dual mandate. In 1994 all Oireachtas Members were precluded from holding key positions in local authorities. There was a long discussion at the time to outline where we should go from there. The same debate took place during the discussion of the 2001 Bill when I said the time had come to end the dual mandate. I say that with some grief. While I said directly elected mayors should not be introduced, I had reached the stage where it was becoming physically impossible for me to do two jobs at the one time.

As a grass roots person, I loved being a county councillor. I wanted to deal with the issues as they arose on the ground because all politics was local. That is where the core of politics is and it is very gratifying to do something for a person in one's area. I have chosen this road and I am now a Senator. I found it difficult to do the job I wanted to do because I was a professional. I wanted to be as much a professional as a county councillor as I was as a Senator. I had awful problems doing the two jobs and realised it was time to make a decision. While I did not like the decision, I realised I could not do the two jobs. The Minister has outlined this issue which has been reflected on all sides of the House. We have to make choices between the two hats and the implications are colossal.

There is now a divide between the local and national interest. When speaking about one of the sections in the Bill, the Minister talked about us having access to information. This might mean access to the agenda but that means nothing. Some local authorities have access through the Internet. Any member of the public can get the ordinary information on the Internet but a member of the council has detailed access. The Minister must ensure access means availability to the same kind of information county councillors have. This must be spelled out. Some Deputies who are no longer councillors have told me they do not have real access. When they telephone to inquire about a planning reference, they are told whether it has been refused but do not get the reasons. A local authority member will get the details. When introducing the guidelines, the Minister must make sure access means getting the same information as county councillors have.

I am sorry that I had to leave the council but that was my choice. I would have preferred to do the two jobs if that was possible. While I prefer to deal with the public, I also like my work here. I understand councillors also want us off the councils as we were dictating when meetings should be held because we were not available on certain days. That was not fair to non-Oireachtas Members. I felt I had no right to lay down ground rules about meetings. I cannot be in the two places at the one time and cannot be selfish. I had to decide how I wanted to shape my career in the future.