LEGISLATION TO allow for a directly elected mayor of Dublin may not be passed in time to have the contest in the autumn as planned by Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
The Bill dealing with the issue was due to have been published before the Dáil adjourned for the summer recess, but it is now unlikely to emerge until later this month.
With the Dáil not due to resume until September 29th, the timetable for getting the legislation through both Houses of the Oireachtas in time for an election in November is getting very tight.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said yesterday the Bill will be published later this month after it is approved by the Cabinet.
As Taoiseach Brian Cowen will be out of the country on an official visit to the United States next week, the earliest the Bill can get Cabinet approval will be the following week. The 230-page Bill has taken longer than anticipated to draft and while the work is now complete, the Cabinet has to consider the legislation before it can be published.
Mr Gormley identified the creation of a directly elected mayor of Dublin as one of his priorities when he first took office three years ago.
However, the Bill has proved to be far more complex than originally envisaged and it will be one of the biggest pieces of legislation put through by the Government.
Mr Gormley has on a number of occasions stated his ambition to have the mayoral election this year.
The initial target date was June, but that slipped to autumn some time ago.
The autumn deadline is now in serious doubt and the contest may not happen until some time in the new year.
Mr Gormley had expressed a preference for holding the mayoral election in tandem with the three outstanding byelections and the children’s referendum before the end of the year.
However, Fianna Fáil is reluctant to face a Dublin contest which could leave the party trailing back in third or fourth place, given its current low poll ratings.
Recently Green Party chairman, Senator Dan Boyle, suggested that the Donegal South West byelection should be held in the autumn along with the mayoral election, while the Dublin South and Waterford byelections could be held at a later date.
Donegal South West is the only one of the three byelections Fianna Fáil has a realistic chance of winning and the Government is reluctant to hold the other two for fear of undermining its Dáil majority.
The directly elected mayor of Dublin will have similar powers to the London mayor and will chair the Dublin Transport Authority with a direct role in the development of transport strategy.
The mayor will be elected by voters in the four Dublin local authorities and will oversee the implementation of agreed regional strategies.
The mayor will also be responsible for bringing key public and private sector partners together in an effort to promote a dynamic city region.
Mr Gormley has expressed confidence that the mayor will raise the profile of Dublin, enhance local democracy and accountability and lead to the provision of a more effective and integrated public service across the city and region.