Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

I am something of a believer in the old adage, "If it is not broken, don't fix it." While we are talking primarily about county councils and county borough councils, I have concerns about any dilution of the powers of county councils, borough councils and town councils. They have worked well and we should be augmenting them in such a way that they will have additional powers that would allow them discharge their duties in a better way.

I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this matter to ensure power remains with all relevant local authorities. Local government, by its very nature, is such that people who are locally elected are best placed to determine what is best for their local communities. "Local" is the operative word. When one operates on a regional basis, the concept of the local gets lost. I urge caution.