Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1520. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will implement all of the recommendations of the recent report on the mergers of Cork City and County Councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32308/15]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1521. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he and his officials have discussed an implementation plan for the Cork City and County Council merger; if he will outline the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32309/15]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1522. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a cost-benefit analysis will be done on the proposal to merge Cork City and County Councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32310/15]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1523. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the negative reaction from academic experts on the proposal to merge Cork City and County Councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32311/15]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1524. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way he and his Department agree that merging Cork City and County Councils will actually benefit its citizens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32312/15]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1525. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the process he went through before he endorsed the report recommending the merger of Cork City and County Councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32313/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1520 to 1525, inclusive, together.

I established the Cork Local Government Committee on 15 January 2015 to carry out an objective review of local government arrangements in Cork city and county, including the boundary of Cork city, and to make recommendations with respect to whether the boundary of the city should be altered or whether Cork City Council and Cork County Council should be unified. The Committee’s report was submitted to me on 2 September 2015.

Following receipt of the report, I had an opportunity to consider it and on 8 September 2015, I signalled my agreement with its main recommendation to establish a new unified Cork local authority. The report also contains a considerable amount of analysis and recommendations on related issues and arrangements, as well as a minority report proposing extension of the city boundary. However, there was agreement on some important matters, including the fact that retention of the status quo in Cork is not tenable and that there is need to define a substantial Cork metropolitan area. I have already indicated that I will give further consideration to all of the details in the report with a view to ma king a submission to Government on the approach to future local government arrangements for Cork.