David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I oppose this section. I tabled a number of amendments which were ruled out of order but I want to speak to the section. It concerns the amalgamation of the local authorities in Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. I see all these issues as an issue of balance. I hope the Minister would agree that strong views were expressed on both sides of the argument regarding the pros and cons of amalgamation and the mergers of local authorities. While there are undoubtedly advantages and positives in mergers and amalgamations, there are also fears, risks and challenges which those local authorities will face. People must make up their own minds and I know there are different opinions in Waterford. I cannot speak to the same extent for Limerick and Tipperary but the Minister will know there were very strong opinions expressed by some in Waterford, even within local government, that the merger of the two local authorities would not be good in the long term for the county and city, particularly the city. I took a decision that I was against the merger but only on balance because I share some of the concerns. I see some of the positives. While I will make the arguments against it, I assume the Minister will press ahead with his plans. When he does, we need to ensure the merged authority works in the best interests of the people of Waterford city and county, which is what we will all do.

There is no doubt that what we are seeing are wholesale cuts to layers of local government in respect of abolishing town councils and merging some authorities. Waterford city, as the Minister knows, is the country's oldest city. It is 1,100 years old next year. It is an historic city and it is only right and proper that a city of its size would have its own local authority and autonomy. We are not going to see Galway, Cork or Dublin lose their city councils and their autonomy. If we look at what has happened with job creation across the State and in the regions over the past five years in particular, we see there is a concentration of jobs in the larger urban centres of Cork, Dublin and Galway. We have not seen that in the regions. I can give the Minister the figures in terms of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland breakdown. The region I share with the Minister - the south east - has the highest level of unemployment in the country and is well above the national average of 14%. There is a very real concern that not having autonomy and the ability to expand, grow and develop with its own structures and autonomy distinct from the county could hamper economic development in the future.

The Minister spoke about shared services. The logic behind his argument is that the mergers and amalgamation will save money. He talks a lot about the savings that can be made but the reality is that some of those savings could have been made through greater collaboration between the two local authorities without having to merge them in the first place. That would make sense to me. I see the sense in people who live in Passage East, Cheekpoint or Dunmore paying their motor tax or bills in the city rather than having to go to Dungarvan in County Waterford. Some of that makes sense but it could have been done through shared services.

The Bill provides for the holding of a plebiscite in Dublin on the issue of a directly elected mayor, yet the Minister is, in essence, going to disband two local authorities and force them to amalgamate without asking for the consent of the people who live in those areas. I think this was a wrong move on his part. It is a mistake to change fundamentally the structures of local government in a city as historic and large as Waterford without asking the people for their consent. This is why I tabled an amendment in this regard.

The Minister might also give me his view on the expansion of Waterford city. If the city is to expand, it needs to expand northwards and we have the issue of the boundary extension of Waterford city into parts of south Kilkenny, which would be beneficial to all the people who live in that part of Waterford and Kilkenny. I know that might be a hot political issue but if the Minister is genuinely interested in the development of the south east, he must agree that Waterford city needs to be the economic driver. It needs to be the hub, capital, key economic driver, engine and heart of the region. For that to happen, it needs to have its own autonomy and to be able to expand naturally outwards without restrictions relating to boundaries and local government. That is why I agree with Fine Gael and Labour's position before they entered Government when they supported the extension of the boundary into parts of south Kilkenny and looking at shared services between the local authorities as a better fix than forcing the amalgamation of the local authorities.

I want to come back to the issue of costs. I am sticking to Waterford. The Minister makes many positive arguments relating to the merger of the local authorities, which I accept. I have said it is an issue of balance but one of the core arguments the Minister makes concerns costs. He outlines the savings but he does not give us the corresponding figures for how much it will cost to amalgamate the local authorities. Despite requests for those costs from many people in Waterford, we have not been given the figures. Like many other things this Minister is doing in respect of water services, he is asking us to take a leap of faith without giving us the real information.

I have made my point on the amalgamation. I believe it should be a matter for the people who should have had their say. If the people of Waterford city and county believe merging the two local authorities is a good thing, and we had the arguments for and against, that is the way we should have proceeded. If the Minister proceeds with the amalgamations, we all must work as best we can to ensure we do the very best for Waterford city and county and get the development we need. I hope the Minister will accept that what has happened economically in the south east and in Waterford presents problems and challenges. We have a big problem with unemployment, which is 20% in Waterford city. Those challenges must be met. Whatever our views on the amalgamation, local government structures must be fit for purpose to meet the challenge facing the people living in those areas. I hope the Minister will take on board the comments I have made in a constructive way and see them as constructive. I look forward to his response.