Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Boyhan said that all political forces in Cork were fully in favour of this proposal but, to be clear, I was never in favour of what is being proposed today. My view has always been that this is just a stepping stone to where we need to be. It will take two steps rather than one and, in a decade, we might go where we should have gone, which is to one local authority. I will support the proposal because I believe it will take us there in due course.

The transfer of staff is a huge issue and today is the closing date in county hall for people to express an interest. Members and staff in county hall have been asked to decide where they want to go. My information is that the uptake has been quite poor.I have a very important question for the Minister of State. If the members of staff do not want to move to the city council, how will that be enforced? The figures are quite startling. The city council is looking for 350 members of staff to relocate from County Hall to City Hall. Cork County Council is saying it should be approximately 190. There is a real dilemma in the two local authorities. My major problem with this proposal has been the efficiency issue. When all this is said and done, we will have two county managers who are exceptionally well paid, two directors of service, planning and housing - two of everything. I have always been an advocate for one local authority with one manager, one director of housing, one entity. I appreciate that will not happen today. My question relates to the efficiency issue.

At the moment the city council has one member of staff for approximately 1,000 people. The county council has one member of staff for 2,000 people; that is efficiency. How does the Minister of State propose the transfer of staff will be done on an efficient basis so that we can have what local government should be and what Cork needs, namely, an efficient local government service? At the moment we have a double-staffing issue, which is very controversial locally. Today is an important day for those members of staff who are being asked to choose. What will the process be if the quota is not filled? Who will define the quota? Who will fund it? What is the knock-on effect for the compensation package of 350 members of staff moving to City Hall? Who will pay for the vast pensions and wages and for the land and compensation package, to which we will get in due course, whether that be over three years or ten years? Who will pay for that if such a large number of staff have to be paid for? These are major issues for the people of Cork. This involves local housing and planning services. Without the money we will not have the services. Will it all go on staffing levies? These are key issues for local government in Cork.

I support the Bill on the basis that it will be a stepping stone to having one authority because having a single local authority in Cork covering 500,000 people and one eighth of the geographical area of Ireland would be a regional power that could drive regional balanced development which is what we want from the Project Ireland 2040 plan. However, this will not happen here for whatever reason. We need to move to that in time, but for now we need clarity for those workers. We need clarity on the process and funding.