Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am trying to say that the difficulties in question would not have needed to develop if the right governance, the right controls and the right monitoring had been provided for. I am talking about the Leader company that messed up. If the Minister decides to continue with the process of merging Leader into the councils, he needs to bear in mind that such a big change cannot be delivered unless the Department engages with the workers on the ground. According to the most recent feedback I have received, the Department is refusing to talk to workers about the alignment with the local authorities. I put it to the Minister that this is what is happening on the ground. I know he will fix it. I am just telling him about the feedback I have received in the last two days. I think it is a valid point. We do not want a new middle management layer in the councils. That is what we got in the HSE and it led to public waste. We can do very little about it now.

As someone who used to run a small business with six employees, I am deeply concerned about the possibility that the councils will be responsible for enterprise. I have genuine fears in that regard because of the culture in the councils. Everybody knows that when one rings a council office, much of the time the officials there do not pay any heed to the public. One has to go through one's public representative to get rubbish picked up or potholes filled. That is wrong. If we are going to put enterprise into the councils, we have to change the culture in the councils completely. The first thing we must do is ensure the councils are responsive. We can ask Senator Quinn, who is not here, about how customers should be treated. It is certainly different. I accept that the councils are under incredible pressure as they try to do all the tasks they are charged with doing. My fears are based on a combination of the huge strain on councils and their lack of responsiveness.

My final point is that government, at every level, is too fat and too big. Even with the changes that are being made, the Dáil is too big - probably by 60 Deputies, the Seanad is too big and local government is too big. I know it might not be popular to say that. The truth is that as long as our system of government is so big, we will continue to compete with each other instead of serving the public. I was very impressed by the abortion hearings that were held in this Chamber. We heard from people with expertise who are doing the job. It was not politicised. I know I am in the business of politics. Ultimately, I came into politics to serve the public. If we want better local government reform, we should streamline it in a way that will serve the public better. That applies to the development companies, to enterprise and to democracy.