Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for selecting this Commencement matter. I warmly welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for local government and electoral reform, Deputy Phelan. To get to the kernel of this Commencement matter, there has been media coverage in recent days relating to the proposal or suggestion of an elected executive mayor for the Dublin area, including the commuter belt towns of Kildare, Wicklow and Meath. That this has been reported is not to say it is fact, but it was published in the media. There was also the suggestion of a directly elected executive mayor for Cork city and county. Will the Minister of State outline the facts of this case?

I wish to hone in on the question of devolving powers. It is a great idea, but from whom are we taking those powers and to whom are we giving them? With devolved power comes devolved responsibility. Who are we taking responsibility from and to whom are we giving it? With devolved power comes funding, with the implications of that for the local property tax and commercial rates. Who are we taking the funding from and to whom are we giving it? To whom will these people be accountable?

I would appreciate it if the Minister of State shared with us his vision in this regard, throw some light on the facts and tell us how the Government intends, if it intends at all, to proceed with having elected mayors. Will they be figureheads of executive elected mayors? There is a subtle but important difference.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I apologise for being late. Traffic on the Naas Road is unpredictable at the best of times and chaotic at the worst.

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this matter. A Programme for a Partnership Government sets out a number of requirements in terms of local government reform, some of which we have discussed previously. In particular, it envisages the submission of a report to the Government and the Oireachtas on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability, and to ensure that local government funding, structures and responsibilities strengthen local democracy, all of the issues that the Senator referenced.

Proposals to address a number of the programme for Government requirements have been the subject of consideration by the Government, most recently last week, in light of which it is envisaged that the matters involved will be referred to the Oireachtas for consideration. Among the issues being addressed in this context is municipal governance, including the questions of town or borough status and local electoral areas, as referenced in the programme for Government. Pending referral of the matters involved to the Oireachtas, I am not in a position to provide full details on them, but I am prepared to have a further discussion.

The Department is preparing a report on the programme for Government commitment on directly elected mayors for Dublin and Cork. This paper will examine the range of functions that might be assigned to a directly elected mayor and the governance structure that would underpin the role. Of importance is the geographic area relevant both to the mayoral role and the electorate that would vote for it. Consideration must also be given to potential impacts on existing local government structures following on from the establishment of directly elected mayors in those city areas.

At its meeting on 26 September 2017, the Government agreed as part of an indicative schedule for a number of referendums over the next 18 months that a plebiscite on directly elected mayors could take place in October 2018. The Department is drafting the legislation required to give effect to this decision and it is included in the Government's legislative programme as a Bill to be published in the first half of this year.I also note that proposals brought to the Government and the Oireachtas on directly elected mayors will need to be cognisant of the new national planning framework and its strong focus on sustainable unpacked development of Ireland's cities and urban areas. Work on the report on directly elected mayors for cities is at an advanced stage in the Department. I thank the Senator for his interest in the matter.

Local government performs a wide range of functions and delivers a broad array of services. Any change must strengthen it and ensure it will remain fit for purpose. I also take the opportunity to thank the staff and membership of local authorities across the country who responded so effectively in the past few days to events during Storm Emma.

In the case of Cork city and in respect of the newly expanded boundary which has not yet been provided for in law but which will, it is hoped, come into effect in the middle of the year with a local government Bill, it seems pretty clear, based on the geographic area, where a directly elected mayor will operate. In Dublin some people believe a directly elected mayor should just be for the city; others believe he or she should be for the four Dublin authorities, while others believe the area should stretch to include the three neighbouring authorities in counties Meath, Wicklow and Kildare. There is the question of whether such a role should slot into a similar pattern as in the case of the existing local government heads rather than have executive power. In the case of Dublin and Cork, that would mean a change in the role of the chief executives in these organisations. A directly elected mayor would have these powers and carry out these functions for the term for which he or she was elected. All of these matters are being considered. It will be another month before the report goes to the Government and it will include the options. The Government will make its decision and there will then be a discussion in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State. There is still a lot more work to be done, from which I am not taking away. The Minister of State used the term "plebiscite". Whatever decision is made, there has to be change. We should never be afraid of change, but it is important that, in respect of local democracy and government, we initiate a plebiscite. There is now a connection with local property tax and for the first time people believe they are putting their hands in their pockets. It is to be hoped there will come a time when all taxes gathered locally will be retained locally, but we are a long way from that happening. Where I live, money is being handed the other way. Empowering people through a plebiscite is a very important aspect of any change. I again thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply.