Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I will probably get myself into trouble with my party for raising this question. When I considered this section, my first question was why Members of the Seanad were excluded, but that has been discussed and I will not raise it now. However, Members of the Dáil will be on the committee and that means that outside a 25 mile radius of Dublin, when Members of the Dáil will be elsewhere, these committees will be able to meet only on Monday or Friday nights. That practice had developed in local authorities when Members of the Oireachtas held the dual mandate.

The logistics of organising a meeting such as this are bad enough without having Members of the Oireachtas say that Monday night is the only suitable time. I think this is a backward step from the decision to let local matters be dealt with by the local representatives. I am certain that if my party spokesman in the Dáil hears what I have just said, I will be in big trouble. The Minister can tell him and that will liven up the debate in the Dáil.