Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I studied and, more importantly, watched the Committee Stage debate on this legislation in the Dáil. I acknowledge the contributions of Deputies Grealish, Ó Cuív, Ó Broin, who is Sinn Féin's spokesperson on local government, and Connolly. They made a very strong case. Three of them are representatives of Galway. They are elected by Galway. They are tapped into the local councillors and the local government process. I will always refer back to and listen to the views of local Deputies. None of them is entirely against the proposals for local government in Galway that are set out in this legislation. I will not rehearse all the aspects of those proposals because we had a long night of discussions on these matters last night. I think the Deputies I have mentioned are wise and sensible politicians. They are diverse politicians who represent diverse parts of their constituency. I have worked closely with Deputy Ó Broin. It is clear from his contributions on local government at the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government that he is very knowledgeable and experienced. Having studied the Deputies' contributions in the Dáil and having read their submissions, I believe it is right for us to delete any reference to Galway at this stage.

We should not rule out the possibility of future discussion and engagement on these matters. I thank the Minister of State for saying last night that he would welcome a debate in the Seanad on the whole area of mayors. I do not want to be premature about mergers. I have read what the Minister of State has said. I understand his intention. I think it is early and premature. When we talk about local government in Galway and in general, we need to put people first. I do not mean we should have a slogan on a bit of paper that talks about putting people first. We need greater accountability in local government. The chief executives who are paid large sums of money are unaccountable to many aspects of the Oireachtas and to the elected members of the councils. We need to discuss these matters with the City and County Management Association, which is a strong body. It is not always a good thing that the association keeps defending chief executives, particularly given that it is partially funded by taxpayers' money. We need to engage with the Association of Irish Local Government.

We need to look again at synergies. I spoke last night about Carlow and Laois, which are two distinct geographical areas with their own local authorities. They have synergies and shared services. We do not have to close down distinct branches of local government. We need to support them and have shared services. I do not object to greater citizens' engagement. I do not object to plebiscites because they empower people, citizens and communities to make decisions. I believe this Galway aspect was an add-on to a Bill that should never have been there in the first place. I would welcome a new Bill in the future. We need to address the issue of who we are taking powers from and who we are giving powers to. Are we taking powers from the chief executives and giving them to county councillors? Are we giving powers to elected mayors or non-elected mayors? Will the mayors be executive mayors or non-executive mayors? How does the Minister of State intend to take on the chief executives, who comprise a powerful group of people, when the time comes to transfer powers? He has a lot more work to do.

With regard to the local property tax, the Minister of State has not addressed the fundamental core issue of how the Government intends to fund the running of councils. We can have all the committees, all the subgroups and all the talk, but they need to be accompanied by proper funding and full independence for local authorities. More powers should be devolved to local councillors who are elected and who represent communities.That has not happened. The Government has been in power for seven years and there has been much talk about devolved powers, but it has increasingly centralised power to itself and, more importantly, the Custom House. Therefore, we need a fundamental review of local government. I do not doubt that the Minister of State believes we need this, but it is not happening. We do not want piecemeal Bills. The Minister of State referred to another two or three Bills next year. How many Bills on local government are we to have? Let us have a proper review of how we will fund local government, who will have the powers and who will cede them. After that, let us progress. The legislation before us is premature. I have no difficulty with the Cork aspect of the Bill because it has the general support of the county councillors, Deputies and Senators who represent the area, but this aspect of the Bill does not. Having heard the contributions of the spokespersons on local government in the Dáil, I believe we need to listen to what they have said.