Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 December 2018

Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

10:30 am

Photo of Victor BoyhanVictor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I heard what the Minister said about the asset register but there are problems there which are documented on the website. The local government auditing services do an exceptionally good job across many local authorities. I suggest we festina lente- or hasten slowly - but I am happy to support the Cork-related aspects of this. I am not a fool. We have a confidence and supply agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and most of the stuff has been done so I do not want to waste anybody's energy on this in the run-up to Christmas. I am happy about these aspects because the Fianna Fáil leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, is from that part of the world and the previous Minister lives there. The Minister is ably represented by Senator Buttimer and other Senators from Cork and there is general broad consensus about it among Cork politicians, whether they are in the Seanad, the Dáil or the council. I have not heard anybody object to it, unlike Galway, where there is a different situation and a different level of support. I listen to sitting Deputies, Senators and councillors and I hear that they broadly welcome the proposals so I do not think the Minister of State will have much difficulty with them.

The Minister knows, in his heart of hearts, that he has got this section of the Bill over the line. I ask him to give one commitment to the House, and that is to revisit the Cork city and county asset register in very early January. I will commit to bringing information which has come to me at that time. I have made representations to the Minister and the Department about these registers and I have not been altogether happy with their responses.

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