Mr. Des Dowling:

With regard to the overall question of savings, we did contextualise this in terms of the overall reform process. The Deputy is correct that there is an indication that we would seek to achieve a further reduction of around 500 members of staff on a voluntary basis, specifically arising from an exercise in workforce planning. The main objective was to recognise that as the local government sector has sought to reduce overall numbers, it can happen in an ad hoc way. One of the tools we needed was to be able to look at each authority and have a template whereby one could judge the extent to which the structure was in keeping with the requirements and funding available. Accordingly, the Department engaged with the County and City Managers Association, CCMA, to put together a workforce plan. This was particularly aimed at administrative and management levels. There would have been recognition that, in the reductions to date and partly due to demographic factors of an older workforce at front-line level, we needed to go faster in reductions at management and administrative level. It was also recognised, however, that we needed to have a workforce plan that would provide a template against which that would be judged. The additional 500 will be mainly at those management levels.

It will be in line with the Croke Park agreement, as we averted to earlier. There is a variety of means by which those reductions can be achieved, whether through redeployment or a redundancy package. Overall, we want to get the least and optimal in terms of individual structures for local authorities. Again, one can see significant variation across authorities on this. The McLaughlin group originally drew attention to this. For example, there were 230 people at director of service level. That is now below 200 on the basis of the McLaughlin recommendation that it should be 190. I would foresee it going below that level further through the workforce planning exercise.

The Deputy referred to cross-boundary arrangements which already exist. For example, Dublin City Council manages on a national basis the internal movement of hazardous waste while Offaly County Council has become the lead authority in respect of waste collection permitting. While we want to progress a shared-services approach, it can happen at both national and local level. The Minister has said that while he certainly sees the need for a single executive leader reporting to elected local authority members, he also sees significant scope for a shared services approach. As regards the boroughs, the action programme does give recognition to this issue. While the terminology and so on will be set out in legislation, it would be anticipated that one would have an arrangement equivalent to borough districts to recognise those locations where a borough council exists and take in its hinterland as well as retain the ceremonial and other civic elements of those structures.

The SECs fits within the broader question of the relationship between local government and local development entities. This has been the subject of examination by a steering group and the report of it was published with the action programme. The task has been to recognise first the community function rests with the Minister. Accordingly, there must be recognition that this community element has developed and has its own strengths. In seeking to achieve the best alignment between it and local government, we must draw on both their strengths and the bottom-up approach which has been developed on the community side. Alongside of that, there must be recognition that within counties the very best interactions and results in either the social or economic area are invariably achieved through good interagency co-operation. There is very mixed experience in this but we need a structure which fully involves and takes in the community piece, as well as the funding and organisation of that. The SEC is to give the appropriate emphasis to and recognise, as the action programme does, the role of local authorities in the economic area including the new local enterprise offices.