David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful to my colleague, Senator Barrett, for our usual collegial arrangement. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I do not welcome this Bill, however, which I believe was sparked by Europe in the context of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe report of 31 October 2013 which recommended that the Irish authorities revise the legislation to ensure the subsidiarity principle is better enshrined and protected in the law. While the legislation may have been in preparation, they were still concerned about it. The rapporteurs said they were concerned that consultation with local authorities and their associates are not systematic or sufficiently regulated to allow the latter to make an input into the proposed reform. This is again a lack of consultation on the part of this Government.

The chair of the monitoring committee has specifically asked the Government not to pass the legislation until adequate consultation has taken place with the local authorities. There has been no such consultation. For that reason alone, I will be voting against this Bill. My experience during the Seanad referendum copperfastens this. This was also an issue in terms of the abolition of legitimate democratic participation in the context of Údarás na Gaeltachta, which issue was raised vigorously by my colleague, Senator Barrett, at the time.

Section 2(2) of the Bill reads:

If, in any respect, any difficulty arises in bringing any provision of this Act into operation or in relation to the operation of any such provision, the Minister may, by regulations, do anything which appears to him or her to be necessary or expedient for removing that difficulty, for bringing that provision into operation or for securing or facilitating its operation, and any such regulations may modify any provision of this Act so far as may be necessary or expedient for carrying such provision into effect for the purposes aforesaid.

What kind of legislation is it that allows a Minister to do anything he or she wishes? I do not agree with Ministers being allowed to do anything at all and particularly not without consultation with the Oireachtas. We will have a lack of consultation at the other end as well.

I have been contacted by local authorities from Westport to Clonakilty to Macroom to Kilkenny and so on who are concerned about this legislation. The idea that all this chopping, slashing and cutting is helpful is not necessarily true. I have been very critical of local authorities for the past 30 years. I recall being booed at a meeting of the Association of County and City Councils when I raised the issue of section 4 planning permissions. I accept a great deal of reform is needed. I have signed documents from many councils. Interestingly, one proposal is in regard to a reduction in numbers, although on a voluntary basis. They are prepared to go a fair amount of the way.

This is a sop too far. For example, in the context of the town council proposals, 190 representative groups are being destroyed. There is much talk about keeping in touch with the people and democracy.

I mentioned the Seanad referendum and the lies told at that time. In the Scandinavian countries when they produced a one-tier system in parliament they invested massively in increasing local authorities and their powers. They did not go around cutting swathes through them. For example, Waterford city, one of our most historic cities, will have its city council abolished, which is crazy.

First post offices went and then Garda stations went. We now have all those Tesco, Aldi and other stores - I do not expect my colleague, who so generously shared time with me, to agree. However, towns are being bypassed. What is happening in this country? Farming is also in difficulty. What will happen to our communities? Will we have everybody living in Dublin and one or two big quangos - IPCs, LDOs, LEDs and PCCs - all over the place? Even the Minister in his original contribution stumbled over one of them. With at least 80 towns affected by the town council abolition, 190 local groups are being got rid of, what happens to the spirit of these small places? They have already had the stuffing knocked out of them. It is things like the Tidy Towns and the support of Westport Town Council for Westport House planning development. Do people think they will get that from a quango, whether it is an LED or some other kind of daft lighting structure?

I believe the Bill should be parked. We should accept the advice of our European colleagues and not pass it until there has been proper and adequate consultation. For that reason, if I am able to be here, I will most definitely be voting against the Bill, but it is no insult to the Minister of State present who is a decent man.