Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. I too was speaking in the Dáil and as a result missed the presentations. I have read the original submission and have a sense of the content. I welcome warmly the delegation, individually and collectively. I spent more than 20 very happy years as an elected member in local government and know a number of the delegates individually. I would not only know some individuals but would have an acute awareness of their perspective and the degree to which they could bridge the democratic deficit in local government and how relevant local government is to Europe. I had the privilege of being elected by local authority members to the Seanad on two occasions. I wish to acknowledge that it was a very productive and mutually satisfactory relationship.

The principle of subsidiarity is crucial and makes sense. We are not sufficiently adhering to that principle at European level. I did not hear Councillor Paul O'Donoghue's initial presentation but I understand from other contributions that he proposed the idea of a forum at regional level, feeding the local opinion to the MEPs who can then feed it upward to the decision-making processes in Europe, thus bringing to people an awareness of how the Commission was arriving at decisions. I think it is a wonderful concept. My oldest son was involved with Comhairle na nÓg, the youth organisation, last year. Representatives from Comhairle na nÓg attended the youth forums, an initiative of President Higgins, following his election. The forums were held around the country and were extraordinary successful. The forum in my area was held in Monaghan and all the young people went to the venue to make an input on what was important, and a large delegation went to Áras an Uachtaráin to make a presentation which was televised live. This was impressive and was empowering and encouraging for young people.

Similarly, the principle of a forum can be used in the context of the European Union and I would support that concept. Under the reform of local government, I think local government will be involved, albeit tentatively initially, with setting the rate of the property tax and collecting the taxes locally. To be truthful, no matter how much we engage in grandiose talk on the reform of local government, until local politicians are making decisions on taxation, collecting taxes and being accountable for the moneys collected and implementing policy decisions on spending that money one will not have effective local government reform. I welcome the fact that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, has included in his proposals a proposition to give local authority members discretion to adjust the property tax. While the level of discretion is inadequate, it is a starting position and I hope it will develop further.

The move to involve local government in the role of job creation and link local authorities to the new local enterprise boards is a very good principle. It is important to give local government an economic function. If local government becomes involved in the collection of taxation, as well as its social and democratic remits, then it can confidently have an input into Europe and can demand a role in this regard. It wold be bizarre of the leadership in Europe if it did not want to tap into a system of local government that was responsible for setting and collecting taxes and accountable for all moneys as well as job creation strategies. I support much greater engagement of local government with Europe, which will mean that structures of local authorities must improve.

My colleagues Deputy Eric Byrne and Senator Catherine Noone went to Europe to be briefed on issues such as the democratic deficit and the disconnect with the public. What can be expected but a democratic deficit and such a disconnect if one does not have an input from the local government representatives directly inputting to European policy. It is nonsense if one does not have that connection.

The point made about the United Kingdom has very serious implications for the people I represent in the Cavan-Monaghan Border constituency. There are many implications for the Border areas if the United Kingdom is outside the European Union. It would have a serious impact on trade as the United Kingdom, our neighbour, is our largest trading partner and we do 57% of our trade with it. It was correct to highlight the importance of trying to encourage the United Kingdom to stay within the European Union. May I suggest that one way to do that is to implement subsidiarity, the very idea that the delegation wants implemented at European level? If there were proper structures to connect local government to Europe that might well encourage the United Kingdom to vote against leaving the Union. It behoves all members elected to local government, the Oireachtas and the European Parliament to do everything through personal contact with UK members, be they of local government, Parliament or the European Parliament, to encourage them to remain in the European Union.

We have a duty to create conditions in the EU whereby the UK does not feel that it should secede from the EU. We have a particular responsibility in that regard.

I do not think anyone will take exception, and I know that the Chair will indulge me, if I make a personal comment. I welcome everyone here. I am delighted that all of the members of the delegation are present and I know many of them individually. They are all welcome and I know them to be excellent people. I hope that nobody will take exception if I briefly extend good wishes to one of the members of the delegation who will retire from local government. Her retirement will be a great loss to the organisation and local government in this country. She has been a pioneering representative and one of our best players. I wish Councillor Connie Hanniffy well in her retirement.

This meeting is critical. Until those involved in local government are directly linked into decision-making in Europe any talk of democracy in Europe and at a Europe-wide level is a nonsense.