Roimh Thráth na gCeisteanna bhí ag labhairt faoi na ceantair Ghaeltachta agus ag rá nár tugadh aon treoir don choimisiún seo faoi cad a tharlódh do na ceantair a bhí istigh sna toghcheantair eagsúla de na comhairlí contae, agus is mór an trua nár smaoinigh an Rialtas ar thagairt a dhéanamh do na ceantair sin nuair a bhí siad ag tabhairt treoir don choimisiún. De réir mar a fheicimse anois leanfar ar aghaidh sna contaethe eagsúla leis an scoilt atá ann ó thaobh na Gaeltachta de, go bhfuil cuid de na Gaeltachtaí istigh i dtogh-cheantar amháin agus cuid den Ghaeltacht chéanna istigh i dtogh-cheantar eile. Tarlaíonn sé go speisialta i nGaeltacht na Gaillimhe atá sa cheantar thiar ón Chorrib agus ón chathair, agus d'fheilfeadh sé go mór dá ndéanfaí togh-cheantar mór amháin do cheantar Chonamara le seacht nó ocht suíocháin agus bheadh na ceantair Ghaeltachta ceangailte le chéile. Dá dtarlodh sé sin bheadh guth i bhfad níos láidre acu istigh ag na cruinnithe de Chomhairle Contae na Gaillimhe. Mar atá níl ach guth lag acu mar tá an ceantar Gaeltachta scoilte agus tá cuid de i dtogh-cheantar amháin agus cuid de i dtogh-cheantar eile ina bhfuil ceantar mór Béarla istigh leis.
Theip ar an Rialtas treoir a thabhairt don choimisiún agus beidh locht ar na torthaí dá réir. Cheap cuid mhaith daoine go raibh an Rialtas i ndáiríre faoin Ghaeilge. Ghlac siad go poiblí leis na moltaí a bhí ag Bord na Gaeilge agus ceann de na moltaí a bhí sa tuarascáil sin ná go ndéanfaí iarracht na ceantair seo a neartú agus a cheangail le chéile, cumhacht a thabhairt dóibh agus guth níos láidre a thabhairt dóibh sa chóras rialtais, go háirithe sa chóras rialtais áitiúil, ach tá an seans sin caillte anois. Is é sin muna bhfuil an tAire agus an Rialtas sásta athsmaoineamh a dhéanamh ar na moltaí atá glactha acu cheana féin ón choimisiún.
The principal proposals contained in the Bill refer to the Dublin area. On this side of the House we have recognised for a long time that there was need to restructure the local government system in the Dublin area to take account of the huge housing development and the establishment of entire new communities and large townships within the Dublin area that were not catered for in the structures that were established many years ago before these developments took place. The existing regime in Dublin was Dublin Corporation, Dublin County Council, Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council and the Balbriggan Town Commissioners. The Government decided to establish a new corporation area and three new county councils to replace the four authorities I have mentioned.
In the new local authority areas there is large divergence in the ratio of population to elected member and I wish to draw the attention of the House to that fact. Part of the Government's brief was that there would be equalisation of representation between the different areas in each county, but there is a rather large deviation in Dublin. In the new proposed corporation area there will be one member per population of 10,485, in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown new county council there will be one member per population of 6,630; in the Tallaght-Clondalkin county council area there will be one member per population of 6,374; and in the the Blanchardstown-Fingal area there will be a member per 4,754. There is certainly no attempt here at equalisation of representation within the county of Dublin.
It is interesting to note the divergence across the country. In Leitrim a councillor is elected per population of 1,255, in Longford a councillor per 1,483 and in Carlow a representative is elected per population of 1,896. These are the lower figures but, on the other hand, in the south Cork area there will be a councillor per population of 6,808. We still continue to have a major divergence between the ratio of population to membership of local authorities.
The main proposals of the Bill are designed to facilitate the establishment of the new authorities in Dublin. To be quite honest, anyone reading them will have to admit that the proposals for Dublin are very confusing. I am sure we are witnessing something unprecedented in local government history. I doubt if any Government in any part of the world have ever set about changing the structures of the authorities in the primary centre of population in the way we are proposing.
Let me give some indication of the sequence of events proposed by the legislation. Under the Bill new boundaries are being established for four new local authorities in Dublin. However, elections will not be held in respect of Dublin Corporation, Dublin County Council, Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council and the Balbriggan Town Commissioners but elections will be held within the boundaries of the proposed new Dublin authorities. However, councillors successful in these elections will not serve the new authorities but will be assigned after the election to serve in three of the four previous authorities. Some of the newly elected councillors for the new Rathdown council area will serve on the old Dublin County Council and the old Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council even though they have been elected as councillors to the newly proposed county council. I do not think one could get anything more confusing than that. In addition, further legislation will have to be enacted after the elections to establish the proposed four new Dublin authorities. However, this legislation cannot be introduced until all the consequential arrangements have been worked out, dividing Dublin County Council, Dublin Corporation and Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council into four new areas, and until all the staff and management separation agreements are finalised.
It is fair to ask the question: what happens if agreement is not reached on the division of property and of staff and management functions between the new local authorities? What happens if the unions do not co-operate? What happens if a major strike is called? Dare I pose the question, what happens if a general election is called in the interregnum after people have been elected to a council which does not exist and who are being asked to serve on a council which was been abolished? It is possible that the councils to which they have supposedly been elected may never come into existence. This is the most confusing legislation any Government ever attempted to put through the House. I doubt whether many people understand the complexity and stupidity of this Bill. People are asking why the Government are going about this in such a ham-fisted way, and why they have selected such a tortuous route to achieve such a simple change. The only answer to these questions is that up to now the Government have failed to get on with the job and to do the groundwork which would have enabled them to have all this work done before next June. Maybe they harboured hopes of being able to postpone the election again.