The Dáil passed the Local Government Bill by 80 votes to 55, paving the way for the end of the dual mandate whereby members of the Oireachtas can no longer be members of local authorities.
The Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Mr Michael Ring, has said that he will challenge the Bill's constitutionality in the courts if the President, Mrs McAleese, fails to refer it to the Supreme Court. During the final stage of the debate, the Fine Gael spokesman on the environment, Mr Bernard Allen, said he had been a member of a local authority since 1979, with the exception of a short period as a junior minister. "My family was also in local government. My grandfather was a member of the first republican corporation in Cork city, and I am proud that his name was there along with McSwiney and McCurtin on the ballot paper during the black-and-tan era," he added. "His name was upfront because the list was alphabetical in Cork city hall." Mr Allen said he was sorry to be leaving local government, adding: "I am effectively being forced out.
"I also feel sorry that we are reaching a time when I sincerely believe local authorities are losing their powers."
He said he was almost certain that the commission examining the funding of local authorities would introduce the question of metering and water charges. "Effectively, it is direct rule from the Minister through his civil servants to the manager," he added. "I am hearing - not from my own council, but from councils around the country - that managers are ignoring elected members. In some cases, they are becoming intolerant of them." That, said Mr Allen, had a knock-on effect on the public. "People currently entering politics are not doing so for its own sake," he added. "They see it as a stepping stone to Dáil Éireann, and that is the reason that many of them enter councils."
