asked the Minister for the Environment the procedures that will be followed in providing for necessary consequential arrangements in the event of new county and county borough boundaries being established; and whether these will have been implemented prior to the holding of elections in the new areas in June 1985.

15.

asked the Minister for the Enviornment if legislation will be enacted prior to June 1985, to enable elections to take place to the proposed new local authorities in city and county of Dublin.

16.

asked the Minister for the Enviornment if it is proposed to establish a local boundaries commission to deal with extensions and alterations to existing county and city boundaries.

17.

asked the Minister for the Enviornment if it will be necessary to hold public inquiries prior to the introduction of legislation establishing extensions and alterations to borough and county borough boundaries; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 together.

I would refer the Deputy to my public statement of 11 January on local government reform, copies of which were placed in the Oireachtas Library. I will be bringing forward legislation in the near future to enable effect to be given to the Government's decision that Galway is to become a county borough, and to deal with all the appropriate consequential matters.

The legislation will also enable effect to be given to the recommendations of the two electoral commissions. It is the aim that any revisions of the boundaries of the cities of Cork, Limerick and Galway that may be decided on in the light of any recommendations in specific terms by the commission concerned will be implemented without further inquiry and in time to be reflected at the local elections in June.

The local elections in Dublin in June will be based on the adjusted city area and on the three new county council areas and the proposed legislation will make the necessary provision in this regard. Pending publication of the Bill, I am not in a position to be more specific as to its contents.

As regards urban boundaries generally, I indicated to this House when moving the Vote for 1985 for my Department that I would also in due course be bringing forward further legislation to provide, among other things, for a statutory local government boundary commission to review such boundaries.

I did not realise that these questions were on the Order Paper when I asked the Minister of State about the extension or contraction of internal electoral areas. The Minister of State has said that he will bring forward further legislation with regard to the statutory altering of the boundaries. Is that correct?

A number of towns are slightly out of balance but this matter could not be examined before June. We will set up a statutory boundary commission to consider those cases and all other boundaries.

That will not be done in time for the elections?

No, the local electoral boundaries within a county will be looked at.

What about the extension of urban boundaries?

No, they will not be done before the elections.

What is the position with regard to the extension of county electoral areas?

That will be done if it is needed.

Considerable legislation will be coming before this House in the next few months. Can the Minister of State give an absolute guarantee that this legislation will be passed to allow for the elections in June?

Yes, and I have no doubt we will receive the co-operation of all sides of the House to get the legislation through to enable us to have the elections in June.

I am confused as to the Minister's reply. In relation to the extension of borough boundaries, is it the intention to have the June elections fought on the new borough boundaries?

No. In my answer to the previous question I mentioned the boundaries of the areas in question, namely, Cork, Limerick and Galway. The commission were asked to look at them and if they come up with proposals legislation will be introduced to implement the changes for the June elections.

What is the situation in the event of no proposals?

If they come forward with proposals for extensions legislation will be brought before the House to enable such extensions to take place. With regard to other urban areas, the vast and complex job of dealing with this matter will take years. We will bring in legislation to set up a statutory boundary commission and this will give them an opportunity to look at all boundaries in all local government areas.