David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 5, lines 4 and 5, after "centralisation" to insert "or localisation".

This amendment seeks to insert the words "or localisation" after the word "centralisation" on lines four and five on page five. The intent of the Bill is set out in section 5, paragraph (d), which refers to "the desirability of regionalisation or centralisation" but it does not mention localisation. The focus or logic of the approach of Government and local government reform and governance during the past decade or more has been on centralisation, sucking more power into the centre. We have seen that in local authorities, the health service, with the disbandment of the old health boards, and other areas as well. The principle of subsidiarity should also underpin what the Government does. There should be no predetermined outcomes of simply wanting to centralise or regionalise, there should be a localised element to it as well. The Minister of State and her party when in opposition would have made similar arguments, namely, that democracy is best served at the lowest possible level. Senator Landy made an interesting point yesterday in response to a Fianna Fáil Senator that France and the UK have a much higher representation of local public representatives per head of population. I am not saying we should have the same model as France or the UK but we do not have a big number of public representatives in this State by comparison with the UK. If we were to continue on this drift towards centralisation and regionalisation and not have a local focus, that would be a mistake.

I will not labour the point because our problem with the wording is that it sets reform on a path that is about centralisation and not one that could be about localisation and devolving power to authorities in the local government. I would be interested to hear the Minister of State's response.