Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. It has been intimated that he is willing to look favourably on amendments on Committee Stage. While it not the Minister's fault, the Oireachtas, especially the Seanad, should have been given sufficient time to discuss this legislation. Senators and local authority members have a unique relationship, albeit one which was sneered at during the Seanad elections. People decided differently, however, in the Seanad referendum. I am disappointed that sufficient time has not been provided for a full and adequate Second Stage debate on this crucial legislation. Speaker after speaker described this as a landmark Bill and noted we have waited 100 years for this type of reform. The Seanad could have played a pivotal role in advising and informing the Minister on reform of the local authority sector. While I appreciate he has a deadline to meet with elections scheduled for next May, I hope he will not insist on having the legislation concluded this week. The Bill is worthy of detailed consideration and if the Seanad must sit a day or two earlier in January to deal with Report Stage, so be it.

I do not have time to make a substantive contribution. I welcome much of the content of the Bill. The Minister, as a long-serving member of both a local authority and the Oireachtas, brings experience in both areas to the table. Having engaged in many debates in the House and at parliamentary party meetings on local government reform, I appreciate the need for reform. The Minister has now placed a package of local authority reform before the House for consideration.

I missed the Minister's Second Stage contribution but as this is an issue of great interest to me, I went to the trouble of visiting the Dáil Chamber on the day he contributed on Second Stage in the other House. I listened with interest to one comment he made on that occasion. To paraphrase him, the Minister indicated the legislation would bring us into line with the rest of Europe and, as such, was a positive development. The previous speaker expressed a hope, perhaps not in jest, that the Minister will hold a different political position next year and she wished him luck if that prospect is realised, as much media speculation suggests it will be. If the Minister is fortunate enough to secure a highly responsible post of European Commissioner, he will sit around a table with colleagues from across the European Union. Some night, when the meetings are finished and the Commissioners are relaxing over a pleasant meal, perhaps they will discuss local government. When the Minister, the Irish Commissioner, asks them about the state of local government in their respective countries and reports back to them that, as a result of the Government's deliberations, Ireland will have 31 units of local government, the French, with 36,000 units of local government, the Germans, with 12,000 units of local government, the Finnish, about whom we heard so much during the Seanad referendum who have almost 350 units of local government, the Belgians, with almost 600 units of local government, the Swedes with 300 units of local government, the Portuguese, with 300 units of local government and the Dutch, with almost 500 units of local government, will be rather bemused.

Having decided that politics is bad and politicians are somehow bad people, we are now making a major play of the idea that abolishing town councils and getting rid of 800 local politicians presents us with some form of nirvana.

We should celebrate that Ireland begins afresh today following our exit from the bailout. We must ensure we do not return to the practices that ruined the country. We must learn lessons, including that we have not used or facilitated local government for the development of the country. This Bill, specifically its provisions on the destruction of town councils, poses serious questions. None of us can deny what we have said previously and the Minister will be aware from Fine Gael Parliamentary Party deliberations on town councils four or five years ago that I was one of those who spoke in favour of major reform of town councils, while others took a different view. We have now decided to throw out the baby with the bath water by creating municipal districts.

I have spoken repeatedly in both Houses about the concept of district councils. The 1991 Barrington report, which can be found in the Oireachtas Library, focused on district councils and recognised the need for reform of urban councils. It also recognised that a natural unit of between 15,000 and 20,000 people would be an effective unit of local government.

That is something we need to reflect on as well. I appreciate that my time is up. I will allow Senator Crown in. I hope we will have an opportunity to engage with the Minister on Committee Stage. This is the Minister's landmark legislation. It will exist for decades to come. I appeal to the Minister to ensure this important Bill is not rushed through the Oireachtas this week. We can all make the sacrifice of coming back a day or two earlier in January to try to get it right.