Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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254. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for the introduction of a directly elected mayor for the city and county of Dublin; and the work his Department has undertaken on this matter since the consultation with the four Dublin local authorities in 2013. [31729/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provided for a process for the holding of a plebiscite on the possible introduction of an office of directly elected mayor for a Dublin metropolitan authority. This procedure was based on achievement of political consensus across the four Dublin local authorities, involving the adoption of a resolution by a majority of each Dublin council for the holding of a plebiscite in relation to proposals set out in the resolution.

In the event, the statutory requirement for the holding of a plebiscite was not met. Subsequently, my predecessor, in a meeting with the mayor/cathaoirleach of the four Dublin authorities on 7 July 2014, invited them to consider and revert with proposals that would address not only the concept of a directly elected mayor but also the wider governance of the metropolitan area including cost and functional implications.

The issue will now be re-examined in accordance with the Programme for a Partnership Government 2016, which includes a commitment to consider directly elected mayors in cities as part of wider potential local government reform measures. The Programme states that, having consulted widely with all relevant stakeholders, a report for Government, and for the Oireachtas, will be prepared by the Minister by mid-2017 on such measures.

Scoping work in relation to the development of proposals to address the range of issues in the Programme is being undertaken by my Department. This will identify the matters to be addressed in the report to be submitted by mid-2017. Decisions will be a matter for the Government and the Oireachtas, as appropriate, following consideration of the report.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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255. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has received representations from members of Fingal County Council seeking to partition the local authority along the N2 to create a new local authority in the north County Dublin area outside the remit of the proposed directly elected mayor for Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31730/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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256. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has examined the redrawing of the boundary between Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council in the vicinity of the M50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31731/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together.

No representations of the kind referred to have been received in my Department and I have no proposals in that regard. It is open to a local authority, under Part V of the Local Government Act 1991, to initiate a proposal for the alteration of a boundary.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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257. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department will be establishing a local government boundary committee to review local electoral areas in view of the population increases in the Fingal county area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31732/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The most recent review of local electoral areas was carried out from November 2012 to May 2013 by a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee established under the Local Government Act 1991.

Unlike the position for Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, there is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of local electoral areas. There is a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to consider reducing the size of the local electoral areas; this will be examined in the preparation of a report for Government and the Oireachtas by mid-2017 on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability.