Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to discuss this all-important issue. I acknowledge the passion. I was listening to Senator Ruane earlier and I know how committed she is to her community and to bringing forward ideas to frame things in a positive way and to work with people who need help. I commend her. We have proposals before us for citizens' assemblies on biodiversity and a directly elected mayor and unified authority for Dublin. I was involved in the process when we passed the plebiscite in Limerick. It was put to Limerick, Cork and Waterford but we were the only place to pass it. I believe it is a positive way to go. Citizens, 12 elected members and people with expertise will be involved. It is important. When we ran an information campaign in Limerick about the plebiscite, people had clear questions that they wanted answered. It was as important for people in the city to have a voice as it was for people in the county. Dublin needs a unified voice. There are different issues in the four local electoral areas and they need to be addressed, which is why it is important to have a good balance from each area. The legislation for Limerick is at an advanced stage. I am undertaking a thesis about a directly elected mayor for Limerick. I am eager to see what will happen with the proposals for Dublin. It is important that the views of the people who will be faced with this and with the decision in the future on the plebiscite are considered.

I have looked at what happened in New Zealand and the UK. There are interesting examples across the world. When Leicester in England first introduced this, within the first two or three years, people said it should be got rid of and that it was not working. In a recent survey, the public stated that they think it is great and that it has put Leicester on a better footing than other similarly-sized cities. There are many advantages in this regard.

I commend the Minister of State on bringing forward the citizens' assembly for a directly elected mayor and for the reform of local government. It is the largest reform of local government that Limerick has seen in more than 100 years. We are all concerned about biodiversity and the planet and the many changes coming down the line. I believe it is the right way to go and I support the Minister of State in his proposals.