David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I know that and I do not intend to discuss it. I am speaking about the amalgamation of the local authorities, economic development and responding to a charge made by the Minister. When drawing up my report, I consulted stakeholders in every county in the south east, including Kilkenny. I not only think locally, I also think regionally. That is what all of us across the Houses should be doing. Key to whether this proposal will be good or bad for the region will be if it allows Waterford city to grow and develop.

The Minister glossed over the core argument made by Senator Walsh and me in relation to allowing the people to decide this matter. We all have different views on this. I am not in any way calling into question the integrity of the views of Senator Cummins or anybody else who defends the amalgamation. They are perfectly entitled to do so and there are valid arguments in favour of it, but we should have had the debate on amalgamation of the local authorities and let the people decide if it was the right thing to do. Why was this not considered in the context of the decision to hold a plebiscite on the issue of a directly elected mayor? The Minister also did not address the issue of the cost of the amalgamation. Perhaps he will clarify the issues I have raised.

While the Minister has given a general overview of the reason the proposal is a good one, he did not address the core issues I put to him, namely, the holding of a plebiscite on this issue and the cost of the amalgamation. The Minister spoke of the savings that can be achieved in this regard but the city manager in Waterford has stated he does not believe those savings can be achieved. I would welcome if the Minister could set out the figures in respect of the expected savings.