Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Councillor McElvaney and his colleagues for coming in to make their case. LAMA is an organisation that carries out the specific role of representing the rights and welfare of councillors and has done this successfully over many years. The issues that have been raised here are pertinent and while not dealt with specifically in the legislation, they are important.

As someone from rural Ireland, I know electoral areas are going to be bigger and that fewer councillors will represent people. There will be a greater requirement of councillors to cover a greater geographic area and it will cost more for them to carry out their functions. For example, in the Tipperary-Cashel area - an area familiar to Senator Ó Murchú - there are currently 27 sitting councillors. This number will be reduced to six. Therefore we can see the consequences the change will have in that area.

The issue of the gratuity needs to be addressed. In normal employment, if somebody voluntarily leaves employment where there is a gratuity or redundancy package, there is no age limit for receiving that. However, in the case of councillors, for some unknown reason, the 2001 Act, inserted a qualifying age of 50 years for receipt of gratuity. I served on my local authority with a colleague who was in school with me and who finished on the council in 2009 and had to wait a number of years to get his gratuity.

That is unfair. It is something that can be addressed, perhaps not in this legislation but it is something we should deal with as soon as possible now that we are looking at local government reform.

The other issue which was raised by Councillor Crosby was that of social welfare. Councillors are the Cinderella of the social welfare system. In effect, they pay in but receive nothing in return. The Bill provides an opportunity to allow councillors who are full-time public representatives to have, to use the old term, a "full stamp" to give them the entitlements every other employee has in another employment. We should request the Minister to provide for this as soon as possible. It would be a good provision. It would be only right and proper to do this. I do not see why councillors should be treated any differently from any other employee.

I will pursue these issues on behalf of LAMA and thank its representatives for coming.