asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state whether the proposed legislation to amend the Management Acts will apply to the City of Dublin and, if there should be any further delay in the introduction of the proposals, whether the local elections, due to be held in the City of Dublin on the 20th September, will be postponed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Local Elections.
As I have stated in replies to a number of previous questions, the Bill which I hope to introduce is intended to repeal the County Management Acts. Separate legislation would be needed to deal with the city management systems in operation in the four county boroughs. I see no necessity for having the local elections postponed in the case of the Dublin Corporation.
Will the Minister indicate whether it is the intention to ask the Oireachtas to amend the County Management Acts before the elections are held this September? Is that the intention?
Yes, sir.
If the legislation is not passed, will the elections be proceeded with, anyway?
That is a separate question.
I may inform the Deputy that legislation is in the course of preparation and I hope to have it passed, but, whether it is passed or not, I do not think it ought to militate against the elections being held.
A guarantee has been given here on a number of occasions that the County Management Acts will be amended before the local elections are held. I want to know if the Minister is going to see that that is done.
Will the Minister be good enough to inform the House, in view of the fact that the grounds for repealing the County Management Acts are that they want to restore the democratic principle, what are his reasons for refusing to restore that democratic principle in the City of Dublin?
Or the City of Cork.
Those are entirely separate questions.