Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

The Minister will be aware that last Sunday a prominent journalist in an equally prominent Sunday newspaper rubbished the proposals made in the submission of the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, and, to add insult to injury, went on to quote an unnamed source in the Minister's Department saying the Minister would give short shrift to any of the proposals. I hope the Minister will have some comments to make on this insulting remark. It may be an indication of the media perception of the role and functions of local government. I am heartened, however, by the Minister's contribution to this debate.