Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has responsibility for local government. I commend the Leader for withdrawing the motion on the creation and establishment of the two citizens' assemblies that were to be on the Order Paper for Thursday. I ask that, in the interim, we have a debate on citizens' assemblies. I was a proud member of the Constitutional Convention and I never missed a meeting. The concept is an important part of our participative democracy. The motion on citizens' assemblies, however, if it had been brought to the House on Thursday, was one that would have done a great disservice to our local government representatives.

In the context of the contribution of Senator Boyhan this morning, I ask that we have a real debate about local government and the role of councillors. Regarding the remarks of former President Robinson today concerning climate change, it has forced significant change on all of us, but particularly on local government and how it delivers. I refer to aspects such as sustainable development, modal shift and active travel. It is appalling, however, that the Government would shoehorn the role of local government in Ireland generally into a motion on a citizens' assembly for a directly-elected mayor of Dublin. That does a huge disservice to our local government members and to local government.

I do not dispute the need to have proportionality in representation.With all due respect to my Dublin colleagues, there should be a representative from all regions of the country when discussing the future of local government. I repeat we cannot and should not shoehorn the future of local government into a motion on a directly-elected major for Dublin when we should be having a specific citizens' assembly on the future of local government. Given that the Taoiseach was such a fan and played such a significant active role in the plebiscite that took place in Cork, I ask that he consider the role of a directly-elected mayor for Cork city in the future.