Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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545. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on city status for the greater Drogheda metropolitan area plan as the way forward as there are 76,000 persons living within the GDMA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3777/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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There are no proposals to establish additional city authorities. The Action Programme for Effective Local Government(October 2012) sets out government policy in relation to the reform of a range of local government matters and the Local Government Act 2001, extensively revised and updated by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, now provides a modern legal framework supporting the local government sector. The 2014 Act provided for the unification of the city and county councils in Limerick and Waterford and reviews of local government arrangements , recently announced in Cork and Galway , include the option of unification of the city and county councils in those areas.

A new system of sub-county governance in the form of municipal districts was also introduced under the 2014 Act to replace the now dissolved town council formation and achieve stronger, more integrated local government in each county while devolving significant decision-making to elected members at district level.

Within the new sub-county arrangements, specific legal provision has been made to allow Drogheda to retain the title ‘Borough’ and to continue to use the title of ‘Mayor’ as an alternative to Cathaoirleach, thereby maintaining appropriate recognition for the history and civic status of the town. Moreover, elected members for the Borough District of Drogheda have a wide range of reserved functions which can be performed in respect of the district. In addition, those same members form part of the combined plenary membership for Louth County Council with responsibility for the discharge of an additional suite of strategic and other reserved functions.

Overall, I am satisfied that Drogheda has a status appropriate to its size and location within Louth County Council and having regard to the structural and other changes that have taken place countrywide under the Action Programme and revised legislation. In the circumstances, I have no proposals to introduce amending legislation to establish a new city authority in Drogheda or elsewhere. Any such proposal would be at variance with the thrust of policy development and implementation work to date which has seen greater streamlining and integration of local government, with the potential for improved subsidiarity, coherence and efficiency resulting in better value for money and service delivery for citizens.