I oppose this legislation because it is simply about the dual mandate and not, ultimately, about reforming local government. In recent years we have seen a continuous erosion of the role local councils play in society. We should be trying to reverse that decline rather than hastening it. Local authorities will be diminished without Oireachtas Members who can bring another dimension to local government. I am a new Oireachtas Member and have been a council member for three and a half years. The membership of the council included four Oireachtas Members and I never felt they were overpowering or that I could not stand up and express a different view to theirs at a meeting. They brought another dimension to local government. I question the validity of the abolition of the dual mandate and remain to be convinced one way or the other. I oppose the legislation on that basis.