Paul Bradford (Renua Ireland) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy Deenihan, is simply responding on behalf the Minister, Deputy Kelly, and has no discretion in respect of his response. However, it is a matter of some concern and I ask the Minister of State if he would concur that the future governance of Ireland's largest county and second city appears to have been considered and decided upon within one week of the Minister receiving this report. A one-week consideration by the Minister, Deputy Kelly, who presumably had much more on his plate, is simply not sufficient. I ask the Minister of State to request that the Minister, Deputy Kelly, reflect further and deeper. As I said in my initial contribution, he has committed to the House and the Government to look at all of what has happened as a result of the local government reforms of 2014 and the amalgamations which happened then. I ask that this not be kicked into the distant future. It is much too important to every citizen of Cork city and county for such a report to be considered and decided within one week. I am sure I speak for many others in the House and beyond.