Michael McCarthy (Labour)

It will not make much difference in the many parts of the country where people are continually stuck in traffic jams. The Government has continually chipped away at the powers of local government over the past six or seven years. We recently debated the setting of the charges for refuse collection which is no longer a function of the elected members of county councils. It is disgraceful that five weeks before local elections and before the people return over 800 elected local government members, the Minister, Deputy Brennan, the Minister for press statements and for doing nothing, threatens to remove more powers from local democracy.