Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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432. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress made to date in relation to the programme for Government commitment to establish a citizens’ assembly to consider the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin. [50978/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Under the Programme for Government, the Government aims to establish a Citizens’ Assembly in 2021 to consider the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin. 

The Department of the Taoiseach, which is responsible for this matter, has informed my Department that consideration is being given to the appropriate methodology for future Citizens' Assemblies, guided by the experience of the Gender Equality Assembly which completed earlier this year. An independent researcher was appointed by the Assembly to monitor and record, amongst other things, the perceived deliberative quality of the Assembly. This report, published in July 2021, will assist in decisions on future Assemblies' use of virtual meetings.

While there has been some preliminary engagement on the issue of the Dublin Citizens' Assembly between my officials and the Department of An Taoiseach, the specific timing of the Assembly has yet to be confirmed.