Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We might have a few before then. We might have a few this November.

There are many people in local government thinking of getting out. The Minister of State will know, if he is honest that his own party is finding it difficult to get candidates. An increasing number of people want to run as independent candidates, which is amazing. That is resulting from the politicisation of people in local communities and on significant national issues. I am amazed at the number of inquiries I am getting.

It is important that we consult these people and their representative groups as much as we can throughout the process. It should be done in modules because there is so much going on. LAMA and the AILG are the representative bodies and they enjoy enormous support in the sector among the elected members. That is perhaps the best vehicle to do all that. It might just be best to have modules specifically targeted on legislation. I have attended many meetings where they talked about everything else bar policy. Sometimes it is nice to have really focussed discussions on policy and local government. The local government elections are taking place in May 2019. It is important that the candidates know as much as possible. I do not wish to dwell on the remuneration issue, but it is important. Many local authority members representing political parties are leaving, particularly young women with families, which is sad. Much of this is down to economics and the time they can commit to serve and whether they can afford to stay at it. Most people are not doing it for the money but they are now saying their partners are telling them to get a life, get a job where they are paid and valued for 40 hours a week, not 60 hours a week. People who want to stay in this business are crying out for support and they need to know what is being planned for them, sooner rather later. If the Government is not going to pay until later, they need to be told that. They need to know what to expect if they were to go forward again.