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

I fully agree with the sentiment of the amendment. Before I get into the detail of it, I would like to say that I will not support it because it is proposed in the section dealing with the implementation plan, which is specifically about the issue that we have gone through relating to the map, the area that has been transferred, and the assets and liabilities of the staff. It is what we voted on earlier. It would make no sense legally or politically to put the amendment in the subsection where it is listed. I spoke at length to a version of this on Committee Stage in the Dáil. I think it was an amendment from Deputy Ó Laoghaire of Sinn Féin. He lives in an area that was in Togher in the county but is now, logically, being moved into the city because it is attached to it. I made a point to him about ensuring that the doughnutting does not happen. There are two issues. Cork is not unique in that it has large ex-industrial sites in the middle of the city that have huge potential. They are also in other places. Cork is unique in that it is moving.

We need to ensure that housing matches the creation of office, retail and other space, which is why we prepared a metropolitan governance paper which will come to Cabinet in the first few weeks of January. The emphasis of the paper is ensuring the development of cities across local authority boundaries. The biggest example is Limerick city. Proportionately, geographically, there is more of Limerick city on the Clare side of the River Shannon than there is of any other cross-boundary city. There is also a significant part of old north Tipperary around Newport and Birdhill, which is in the physical, geographic and economic catchment area of Limerick city. Under the national planning framework, as Senator Ó Domhnaill mentioned, this metropolitan government issue relates to what Senators Nash and Buttimer said last night about city drivers for a wider geographic region. There needs to be involvement from local authorities and the public in those areas that are on the wrong side of the boundary or out of the local government area, which might currently be Limerick City and County Council. The only thing of a concrete nature that I can say is that we will be going to Cabinet with that report in the new year. It is designed to underpin the proposals in the national planning framework.

I cannot accept the amendment as is. I know the Acting Chairman is anxious to move me on but I want to refer to the points made by Senators. I think I have dealt with Senator Buttimer's issues. Senator Boyhan supports it. In response to Senator Dolan, the design mechanisms for whatever infrastructure is built will be a job for the new city council in Cork in this instance when planning. A big reason for the expansion in Cork is that we had two local authorities preparing different and sometimes contradictory development plans for the city. Now we will have one. Implementing the standards required for people with mobility difficulties or other issues will be much easier with one authority in charge than with two as at present. I acknowledge Senator Ó Domhnaill's comments. The municipal districts system across the country is haphazard. It works effectively in some councils. In some, such as Galway, part of the issue is the lack of funding and they have not been able to strengthen the municipal districts. In many local authority areas, many services are now provided in municipal district offices.We need to move towards that system.

My opposition to the town councils was on the basis that they were designed more than 100 years ago and allow some people to vote twice in local elections while the rest of us get one. I am not saying that what happened in 2014 was perfect. It was not, but if one talks to councillors regularly, it is clear that none of the representative groups of councillors want town councils to be reintroduced. Individual councillors might want to see their reintroduction, but it is not their stated position.

On Galway, every local government Bill includes many different aspects. This Bill contains provisions for plebiscites and actions in respect of Galway and the Official Languages Act. It was also designed to include a section on the urban area committees, which is new legislation to be introduced next year. There is no question of Galway being included with Cork. There will be a Galway merger Bill in the middle of next year. We are talking about what happened in Limerick, Waterford and Tipperary. The precursor of any legislative provision was the appointment of someone to head the management structure. Senator Craughwell said last night that some people act up into positions with the local authorities in Galway. He was wrong to say that we are proposing an acting manager for both city and county councils. We are proposing a permanent appointee. One of the issues in the local authorities in Galway is that there are not enough people filling positions on a permanent basis, which is why we want to take this step. We are talking about the merger of the councils in Galway, but we have not begun to get into the detail of that merger.

The review of the finances has been pencilled in for ten years' time. It will require the city council to write to the Minister of the day to make the case as to why arrangements should stay the same, be reviewed or be dropped. It will be up to the Minister to judge based on the funding issues in the two local authorities. The amendment here is not in the right place. I understand the point it raises, but we are talking about the implementation plan, which we have to ensure is delivered in the immediate future. The issue of continual reviews of county boundaries would have been politically difficult.

I spoke to councillors from Cork earlier this summer about the boundary extension issue. I was in a part of Cork city I had not visited in 15 years - I believe it was Oliver Plunkett Street - but it used to be shook, so to speak. It was one of those balmy summer evenings, of which there were many this summer, and there were students on the green area beside the river near Washington Street. It was like the south of France. I do not know if that is a high compliment or an insult to the people of Cork. The regeneration of Cork city is under way in a manner that it has not been elsewhere. The review of the finances has been adjusted slightly through the process in the Dáil. It will happen after ten years.

Serious issues were raised by national and local politicians about the potential loss of income to the county from Little Island and Ringaskiddy possibly transferring to the city council. They are huge industrial areas which produce a large amount of commercial rates. The review group drew up the map, and those areas are not being transferred. The case made about IDA funding is a case that will have to be made once the new boundary is in force, and I have no problem supporting Senator Lombard in making that argument. We will be in a new position once the new boundary has been adopted.