Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the spirit and intent of what Deputy Murphy is trying to do with this amendment. In the policy document itself, we got agreement from the Government that no new services would be established in this State at Department or agency level without first seeing if it could be done at local level through local government. That was a major statement of intent on the part of the Government, for which we got approval. I am doing everything I possibly can in this legislation to ensure we devolve as many functions as we possibly can in the first instance to county and city level but also to municipal level. That might deal with some of the issues raised in an earlier amendment about distances to travel. Many of the functions at county and city council level currently could be devolved to municipal district level in the future.

The action programme, which sets out the policy decisions for which the Bill provides, emphasises that local government reform is an ongoing process. It has to be that way but there will always be occasions when there are new programmes or new decisions will be made by Government but we have agreement from Government now that local government will be the first port of call to see how it can be accommodated in regard to implementing a decision. Therefore, if one was to set up an advisory panel on the future development of local government, it would be contrary to that principle. The Deputy acknowledges that the national oversight and audit commission is a mechanism that could probably merge into what she has in mind.

The Bill caters for many of the objectives about which the Deputy spoke. It provides for the national oversight and audit commission which will scrutinise the performance of local government to see if it is fulfilling its national, regional and local mandates, promote value for money where State funds are channelled through local government and will look at best practice in regard to the delivery of services between local authorities and how those best practices can be implemented everywhere.

We are trying to strengthen role and responsibility of the elected members in enabling the members to have a more effective input into the development of policy nationally, building on the work carried out by the elected members working group which I established early this year to tease out the issues in regard to this Bill. I am very grateful for their input.

The Deputy mentioned the European charter. We are subject to regular monitoring by the Council of Europe, and the most recent monitoring report was published. This report pointed out some weaknesses in Irish local government. These have built up over a long period of time and they were acknowledged in the action programme and are being addressed in this Bill. I am glad to have the opportunity to refute some of the misleading information which has been put about on this matter, even by some councillors in Strasbourg recently. The report welcomed the overall action programme and the council secretariat of the Council of Europe has specifically confirmed to my Department that references in the report to legislation relate to the position at July 2013 when the report was approved by the congress and not to the current Bill, as some have tried to imply. The report also specifically endorsed the changes at sub-county level, contrary to some other comments about which I read.

I strongly support devolution. We are already reversing the trend of recent decades by bringing micro-enterprise support and local and community development into local government. We are looking for wider devolution to local level and I also propose a local government proofing procedure at Government level in regard to any new public services at local level.