Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is a good organisation that represents not just members but local authorities overall. Tommy Moylan and Liam Kenny are the officials in it. That would be a good piece of work to do. From their point of view, it has put them in a predicament. The councillors sometimes have information that officials do not have. The officials may not even live in the county whereas local authority members are generally elected from the area, municipal district and county they come from. They are involved in issues locally and there is a complete undermining of that role. I will not say there is a complete undermining of local democracy but it is akin to driving a steamroller over it. It has been smashed. I ask that Ms Hurley would take it up with the senior officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I have raised it here with her this morning from the point of view of the Committee of Public Accounts.