Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to be like a broken gramophone record but I again ask the Leader to invite the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to the House to discuss what plans, if any, he has for the reform of local government. I do not wish to add to the Minister's current problems in any way but he must come clean at this very late stage about what he envisages as the format and shape of local elections in 2014. Local elections are due in June 2014. In fairness to sitting and aspiring councillors, it is time for people to see exactly what they will be running for and if there is anything to run for. Many of us came from a county council background. I always planned my campaigns for a council election or re-election over 12 months in advance. Parties need to hold conventions to select candidates. What is the reason for the delay? The Minister has equivocated and postponed in respect of this matter. In Monday's edition of the Irish Independent he stated that his plans were due shortly. It was to be Easter, then July and then this September. As the Local Authority Members Association conference is on in Donegal this weekend, perhaps he will come clean there. It is time he came to the House. I am concerned because, clearly, we have seen very serious breaches in Government and the division between the Labour Party and Fine Gael and the division between old Labour and new technocratic Labour. I have a feeling that this is what is going on behind the scenes in respect of the Minister's dilemma. It is quite clear that members of the Labour Party are not satisfied with the abolition of town councils and I agree with them. Clearly, they are holding things up. Sooner or later, one must get off the fence. We in Fianna Fáil were criticised for doing lots of things wrongly but we were not quitters. We did not quit and we went into the last election on foot of the toughest budget in decades and we got well thanked by the people for it - fair play. However, we did not run and we did not wimp out.