Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

As a Member of the Oireachtas, I welcome scrutiny of local authorities and State agencies. In many of the debates we have held in the past I have noted that local authority executives, including county and city managers, should be subject to the same scrutiny as councillors. However, I have a problem with the cynical way in which the Green Party is using this announcement to make political capital. That party openly criticises local authority members in a cynical and unfair way. Local government reform is the proper vehicle for improving scrutiny and accountability of both executives and council members.

Senator Cummins correctly described the positive role that local authorities play in our community. The opening this week of the Waterford Crystal Experience in Waterford city is a good example of how public private partnerships can work. If local authorities have the vision and gumption to step out from their traditional role of service provider, they can get involved in areas that create jobs. Surely our efforts should be devoted to creating jobs and stimulating economic development in our cities and counties. I would like to see other authorities following the Waterford example, which led to the creation of 70 full-time and 30 temporary and part-time jobs. This is a positive development in the heart of Waterford, which has been neglected by the Government despite its designation in the national spatial strategy as a gateway city.

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on housing. Thousands of people are on waiting lists, even though thousands of houses lie vacant, including local authority houses. We are told local authorities do not have the resources to renovate their houses. It is a scandal that apprentices and construction workers remain idle when schools, local authority houses and community halls need to be constructed or refurbished. Unlike Waterford City Council, the Government is not thinking outside the box to get these people off the dole queues. They have the skills required to renovate houses. I call for a debate on housing at the earliest opportunity in order that we can find new ways of employing construction workers who have been made redundant.