John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not just about the remuneration; it is about pension entitlements and other supports. Some local authorities provide secretarial supports. The Taoiseach in his initial discussions with me about this matter was adamant that local authorities should provide not just secretarial support but research facilities. That might mean one person in a local authority who can check the statute on XYZ and find out where the reserved function or the executive function lies at local authority level. Those matters will be considered by the oversight group. It is not just the level of pay but also the issue of expenses. Councillors are linked to the general Civil Service expenses regime but also they need to be linked to similar schemes that exist for Oireachtas Members. They are all based on the one level of remuneration but councillors should be treated like every other public representative and members of the wider public service.