We are moving on. I call a representative of the Independents 4 Change.

During the recent elections, the Government did not give the Dubs a chance to vote on an elected mayor for the four Dublin local authorities. This is due to the opposition of a small group of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors in Fingal County Council to the election of a mayor for the 1.4 million people of Dublin, despite the clear demand. The Government is now talking about a citizen's assembly for Dublin but there will be an opportunity in the forthcoming by-elections or general election to finally give the population of Dublin a chance to elect a real mayor with executive powers along the lines of those in place in almost every other major European city, including the successful mayoralties in London and Manchester. Is it not time to move beyond the resistance in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to having a proper leader for the Dublin region? We badly need leadership in Dublin, as the Minister knows.

The Deputy will be aware that we recently held mayoralty plebiscites in respect of Waterford, Limerick and Cork, and Limerick voted in favour. However, that decision was taken after considerable work was done and proposals published in respect of how that would operate.

The Government did not include Dublin.

Allow the Minister to respond.

The Deputy, who has been in this House for a long time, knows that we have four separate local authorities in Dublin. The relationship between those four authorities would have to be carefully considered before suggesting that there be one overall mayor. The approach proposed by Government is that the citizens of this city would have a role in deciding how that should be shaped and that they would consider the evidence-----

Ask them.

After that evidence is assembled and provided to them, they can make a decision.

Just ask them.

We are going to move on.

We have learned in this House the value of having a citizen's assembly to deal with issues that are complex and challenging for our citizens.

Ask them.

I simply do not accept the proposal being put forward by my constituency colleague.