Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his constructive engagement on the issue. As he will know, Sinn Féin supports the concept of directly elected mayors. We are all on the same page on a number of issues with the implementation of the proposal, such as whether mayors should assume powers from the chief executives, managers and agencies rather than from councillors elected in their own right, to democratise our local government. We are concerned that we have yet to see details of the exact powers to be transferred, as the Minister of State identified in his speech, or of what powers a directly elected mayor will have. Plebiscites in counties Cork, Limerick and Waterford are 16 weeks away, but if they are to be supported, the electorate, local authorities and elected representatives need further details of what they are voting on. Otherwise, it could follow the line that Brexit has taken, where there will be a vote on an issue without knowing exactly what is being voted on.

We will have a number of public votes on that day and the people in Cork, Limerick and Waterford will not only be voting on the plebiscite but on two referenda and two elections. As much information as possible that can be furnished will give the proposals the best chance of passing and reduce the chances of the debate spiralling around misinformation and distortion of the facts.

I have spoken previously in this House about the virtues of directly elected mayors in Britain and some of the initiatives they are able to undertake. One of these initiatives is the night tzar, working to keep the capital safe, in the Mayor of London's office. This was created in response to a series of closures of night-time industries in Britain and late-night venues being closed in London. The industry is worth around €60 billion to the economy. A similar situation is happening in Dublin and other Irish cities. I am sure such an initiative would enhance this city, the night-life industries and the culture of the night. Having an office spread across all four local authorities in Dublin would strongly improve how we strategically plan and have joint policies with all local authorities, particularly as we re-imagine Dublin, in terms of Dublin-wide plans around green spaces, cycling infrastructure and cultural spaces. Sometimes these conversations and joined-up thinking can get lost in bureaucracy and we had that conversation here previously.

I understand from the Minister of State's speech that the Department is now prioritising the Government's instruction to produce more detailed proposals on plebiscites, the questions to be put to the electorate and the specific powers of mayors. The Minister of State goes on to state that these detailed proposals, including analysis of the cost involved, would be submitted to Government in the coming weeks. Would those details be made public and will they inform the debate? We have submitted our views and I wonder if those details will be made public. I look forward to engaging with the Minister of State on the issue and I hope he returns to the House to debate the matter further.

Sinn Féin will support the concept of directly elected mayors but let me emphasise that the power must come down and not come from councillors or existing powers that lie with local authorities. Transport is a major issue and the powers can come from the agencies such as the NTA. We are seeing the roll out of the Go Ahead buses. It is absolutely bizarre that the existing operator, Dublin Bus, did not win those contracts. A mayor would have an important role in exercising the will of the people on those issues.