Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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168. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the appropriateness of appointing a person (details supplied) to the Cork expert advisory group. [35699/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 169 together.

The role of the Cork expert advisory group is to review the recommendations of the Cork Local Government Committee report. The group is tasked with examining both the majority and minority reports and underlying material and has a mandate to identify and examine a wider range of options for Cork than might have been considered previously.

In considering members for the Cork expert advisory group, consideration was given to suitable candidates meeting the specific skill sets required. Specific professional expertise in strategic planning, local government administration and governance was sought to deal with the complexity of the issues involved.

I chose individuals who, in my view, have the necessary professional expertise in these areas and I included a mix of both national and international experts.