Speech by Ciarán Cuffe in Dáil Eireann on a Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin - 3 November 2010

Ciarán Cuffe TD makes his first address as Minister to the Green Party members at their Annual Convention 2010.

"I am deeply honoured and privileged to represent the people of Dun Laoghaire as a Minister of State in Government.

I was searching for a way to describe in the words of the late Gerry Garcia, “what a long strange trip it’s been”.

You might think I’m talking about the last couple of months in Leinster House, but I’m not.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley T.D. today published details of legislation to provide for a directly elected mayor for the Dublin region.

Under the proposed legislation in the general scheme of a Local Government (Dublin Mayor and Regional Authority) Bill 2010, the mayor will have a range of substantial powers to establish and deliver a vision for Dublin. The Mayor’s election, from a population base of 1.2million, will also give the Mayor a unique mandate in Irish political life to act as leader and advocate of Dublin.