Liam Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister once again and commend him for his commitment to the passage of this important Bill. Senators appreciate the time and commitment he is giving to our deliberations on it.

Certain cynics have put it about that this is a minor step compared with what was flagged but we know to the contrary. The Bill is a significant step in the process of local government reform. However, I welcome it with some regret. I was elected to the Oireachtas in 1981 and to a local authority in 1985. I sharpened my teeth, politically speaking, in the council. I concede that the Leader of the House also helped me to sharpen my teeth in the Dáil as her Minister of State when she was Minister for Education. The Minister will, therefore, understand when I say I welcome the Bill with a tinge of regret.

Another related reason there should be a tinge of regret is that since 1981, even when I was not a councillor, up to 75% or 80% of my work would have involved the local authority. It is understandable that Members like me who have unashamedly used the local authority to enhance the quality and quantity of their input to political life would find that having to withdraw from direct local authority involvement would create a lacuna for us in our political careers.