Mr. Jim Gavin:

I will answer first, if that is okay. I thank the Deputy for her question.

As to what we would like to see next, we are looking for the committee to endorse the recommendations of the citizens’ assembly. That is what we want to happen.

I will give the committee my experience of dealing with the expert advisory group. I could not but recommend that the group use its experience to assist the committee, the Government or the civil servants in the Custom House. It was influential in upskilling us. All of our decisions were made autonomously by the members of the assembly, but the group’s advice was welcome in our discussions.

Regarding councillors’ pay, we learned a great deal about councillors and the role they fulfilled. It is a critical role for local communities, which is why the endorsement came from the floor. We were aghast that councillors were part time. We all thought they were full time, so that was a surprise. That is why we have taken this path. The recommendation was an endorsement by the assembly’s members of the importance of councillors to local government’s success.

Do Professor Ó Broin and Dr. Quinn wish to contribute on some of these points?