Fianna Fáil Deputy for Roscommon-Galway, Eugene Murphy, says the Local Government (Amendment ) Bill has put pressure on Communications Minister Denis Naughten and Local Government Minister Simon Coveney to ensure that no county boundaries are changes without the approval of local communities.
“Following the introduction of my Local Government (Amendment ) Bill, Minister Naughten announced that the Department of Local Government is planning on examining the possibility of legally enshrining county boundaries by bringing forward legislation to set them on a statutory footing.
“It’s clear that the Fianna Fáil Bill has heaped on the pressure on Ministers Naughten and Coveney to find a solution to this contentious issue,” Deputy Murphy commented.
The Roscommon-Galway TD says that up until now Minister Naughten has failed to adequately deal with the boundary issue, but that the introduction of the Bill will have brought the concerns of the people of Monksland and other areas to the fore.
“I hope that this latest announcement by Ministers Naughten and Coveney to legally enshrine county boundaries is not simply empty rhetoric being peddled by a Minster in the midst of a leadership contest,” he commented.
