Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

The amendment, as the Senator said, requires the Minister to have regard to the desirability for localisation as well as centralisation of services in making decisions in regard to the establishment of a State body. Localisation of service delivery is the existing default position. In other words, it is assumed under the subsection that the local authority provides the service. In order to maintain the services with diminishing resources it is necessary that staff and management in local authorities work together to find efficiencies of operation and share service delivery where possible. I do not propose to accept the amendment on the basis that it is already the default position that the service would be provided locally.