Noel Coonan (Fine Gael)

All he has to do is deal with a few awkward ones and, hey presto, the Bill will go through. However, the ending of the dual mandate will not save money. All it will do is add an extra layer of local representatives who will be paid from the public purse. It will not deliver better local government. Senators and Deputies from all parties have made excellent contributions to and helped reform local government. The Bill may well be bad for local government because it will take away what those representatives have to offer. While it will encourage more people to become involved in local government, I genuinely believe it is the electorate which should decide who should represent it. If I stand for election, it is up to the people to elect or reject me. They are the ones who will decide whether I am failing in my duties locally by being involved in national politics. It is the right of the ordinary citizen to elect whoever he or she wishes to represent him or her.