James Bannon (Fine Gael)

Those triumphal reforms will not do much good for those most affected. It is incredible that the plans for decentralisation were first mooted prior to the local elections in 1999 and that in the run-up to the last general election they were part of An Agreed Programme for Government to be delivered by 2002. Prior to last year's local elections it was announced yet again with much fanfare in the budget. It must go down in history, and I said this last night, as the most promised broken promise. The electorate, however, is waiting in the wings——