John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This important issue has often been discussed in this Chamber and elsewhere in recent years. Members will be aware that the issue of the local government arrangements in Cork has been the subject of much consideration over the past four or five years. The committee report in 2015 did not produce agreed recommendations, although all concerned agreed that the retention of the status quoin Cork was not a tenable option. An expert advisory group established to re-examine the matter and consider a wider range of options reported in April of last year and, on balance, it stated that an expanded city council area offered the best solution, particularly in terms of the structure of local government and a strong focus on the needs and demands of the metropolitan area of Cork.

This approach was accepted by the Government and an implementation oversight group was established to provide a definitive boundary configuration and to oversee arrangements for the boundary alteration. The oversight group submitted a report in December 2017 outlining the proposed delineation of an extended boundary for Cork city, which was agreed by Government. A boundary alteration can be given effect either through existing statutory procedures in Part V of the Local Government Act 1991 or by means of primary legislation. The Department has not received any formal proposals on the Cork boundary under the 1991 Act. Government approval has been given to bring forward legislation in the absence of local authority agreement under the existing procedures. The Department has, accordingly, commenced work on the preparation of the necessary legislation. Members will appreciate that primary legislation involves a number of formal processes, including drafting by the Parliamentary Counsel, Government approval and consideration by the Oireachtas. It is difficult, therefore, to be definitive about timing. The objective is for the relevant legislation to be published in time to ensure enactment before the summer recess, however. Our target, therefore, is to publish a Bill by the end of May.

All matters necessary for successful implementation of the boundary alteration will be addressed in the context of the work of the implementation oversight group under its terms of reference. Given the extent of the change involved and the range of organisational, financial and other implications, the implementation process will involve a substantial body of work. The role of the oversight group will be crucial to this but, above all, the key to successful implementation will be the role of the two local authorities, working with the oversight group, in terms of effective planning, organisation, co-ordination and co-operation. I am confident that this work will be rewarded by giving Cork a more robust and rational local government structure which will help to maximise its success as Ireland’s second city, particularly in the context of the recently published national planning framework as part of Project Ireland 2040. Once the heads of the Bill are published which, all things being equal, it is hoped will happen in April, the intention is that instructions will be given to the committee considering local electoral area boundaries within Cork to commence the work and receive public submissions. The Cork boundaries will be part of the overall package to be published nationally at the end of May or start of June.

On the services being transferred, that is a matter for the implementation group. It caused some controversy and I saw it was reported in the national newspapers today that I issued a response to the chairman of Cork County Council stating I did not want to meet him to discuss those matters. I do not want to meet him at the moment because there is a process in train under the oversight group. It is not a slight on him or the membership of Cork County Council but it would be a severe slight, on my part, of the independent oversight group which is charged with implementing the boundary change if I were to engage in a parallel process with the local authority while its work was ongoing.