David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 83:

In page 54, to delete lines 34 to 39, and in page 55, to delete lines 1 to 4.

We are seeking to delete some sections of the Bill because we do not believe the Minister has been ambitious enough on the issue of mayors. If the Bill is to be genuinely reforming, the Minister should go further than simply having a plebiscite on a mayor for Dublin city. Even at that, once a referendum is held, it can take up to two years for the Government to acts on the result. It is not good enough. We should provide for directly elected mayors for all of our major cities and the holding of plebiscites in these cities. Why are the people of Waterford, Kilkenny, Galway, Limerick and Cork not being given the same opportunity as the people of Dublin to express their view on whether they want a directly elected mayor? One of the bones of contention for many people in local communities is the lack of democracy in the political system. We had a discussion about democracy and the Minister's version of democracy differs from mine.