Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 55: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide directly elected mayors for cities other than Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28585/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a Green Paper, which will examine a number of issues in relation to the organisation of Irish local government, with the objective of making local government more transparent and responsive. Areas to be examined in the Green Paper include the issue of directly elected Mayors. The consideration of the provision of directly elected mayors will be examined in the context of the other issues being addressed in the Green Paper, including:

Ensuring a proper balance of power at local levels between the manager and the elected representatives;

The establishment of town councils in those towns that have shown significant population growth in recent years, including the upgrading of the former Town Commission towns, where appropriate to full Town Councils;

The provision of quality customer service to the public; and,

Expenditure limits at local elections.The Government Programme also states that a directly elected Mayor for Dublin with executive powers will be introduced by 2011.

The Green Paper represents the initial phase of a transparent, inclusive policy formulation process. The purpose of a Green Paper is not to arrive at a single solution, but to present options for further consideration. In this regard, it would be premature to anticipate the conclusions that may be reached regarding the provision of directly elected Mayors in any local authority area. Work on the Green Paper should be finalised by the end of the year, with a White Paper to follow next year.