Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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347. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the boundaries for the proposed new directly elected mayors for Dublin and Cork will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2463/18]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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348. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the plebiscites for the proposed new directly elected mayors for Dublin and Cork will be held; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2464/18]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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349. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the boundaries for the plebiscite on the proposed new directly elected mayors for Dublin and Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2465/18]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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350. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the powers and responsibilities for the proposed new directly elected mayors for Dublin and Cork will be outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2466/18]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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351. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the nature of the proposed regional assemblies designed to provide the proposed new directly elected mayors for Dublin and Cork with a democratic forum; the number of members they will have; the powers and functions they will have; the way in which the members will be elected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2467/18]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 347 to 351, inclusive, together.

The Programme for Partnership Government includes a commitment to consider directly elected mayors in cities as part of a broader range of local government reform measures aimed at strengthening local democracy. In response to this commitment, a policy discussion report on metropolitan governance for Ireland's cities is at an advanced stage of preparation. It will be submitted to Government in the near future and presented to the Oireachtas thereafter for consideration.

The main issues to be examined in the report include those identified by the Deputy: the geographic definition of metropolitan areas, the range of functions which could be assigned to a metropolitan governance structure, and options for such a structure's governance and political leadership, including by direct election.

The report will be aligned with the draft National Planning Framework, Ireland 2040 Our Plan, which has an important focus on the strategic development of our cities.

At its meeting of 26th September 2017, the Government agreed, as part of an indicative timetable for a number of referendums over the next 18 months, that a plebiscite on directly elected mayors would take place in October 2018. My Department is prioritising the drafting of the legislation required to give effect to this decision.