Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Surely Second Stage should form the basis of amendments proposed for later Stages. I suspect that expediency in enacting this Bill and in ensuring fictional achievements were part of the reason. I welcome aspects of this Bill, particularly plebiscites for directly-elected mayors in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. I am glad to see progress being made on these issues. It would have been my preference to see a plebiscite for a directly-elected mayor for Dublin in addition to those other cities, but I am happy to support the progress regardless. I hope we can be imaginative in respect of the executive powers and campaigning powers of those mayors. We see the impact of mayors in Europe. The Mayor of London, who was in Dublin recently, appointed a nightlife tsar, which is a very successful initiative which focuses on helping nightclubs and pubs survive after an increase in closures due to stricter licensing and planning measures and increased rents. We have similar issues in Dublin. Our clubs and pubs are being lost to hypergentrification. That has a direct impact on our culture and identity.

I also have some concerns about the number of issues being put to people in May, including local elections, European elections, referenda and plebiscites. I hope the public can scrutinise these issues to the fullest extent.

It is also somewhat premature for this Bill to include the proposal to amalgamate the offices of the chief executives of the county and city councils in Galway. Clear opposition to the proposed amalgamation of the local authorities has been seen in the public consultation and stated by public representatives. The proposal in this Bill is seen as the start of that process. I have no reason to suggest otherwise. I lived in Galway for my college years and I know that the focuses of the city and county councils can be as different as night and day at times. Those who come from Galway city, Clifden, Tuam and Ballinasloe have very different backgrounds and very different uses for and engagements with their authorities at local level from one another. Our response to this is an already centralised system of government compared with those in the rest of the OECD. We should approach any further move away from grassroots democracy with caution.

I note the Minister of State talks about the council chambers remaining and about the phasing out of the directors. If there is a director for housing and social and community development, would the whole section under this director remain in place? The Minister of State says that we are not going to have a chief executive or directors, but what will happen to the teams under them? Will they be merged with the-----