Mr. Noel Dempsey:

The research is entitled, The 21st Century Councillor in Irish Local Government. Despite all the reforms we put in place over those 20 years, the report shows that councillors still feel disempowered, in many cases, and disrespected, power is becoming more and more centralised, central government is taking more and more power to itself directly or through quangos, they have less and less power to influence policy, and the chief executive, CE, is becoming more powerful in the system. These are the same complaints Deputies Howlin and Phelan and I received at various times.

Due to that, and because we do not seem to be making progress at all, there a number of conclusions. First, there is a serious need to try to rebalance power at local government level so that the democratically elected councillor has a greater say in the decisions of the council. Second, councillors as a group, on each local authority, need to have access to expert advice to enable them to fulfil their democratic mandate and be in a position to discharge their duties fully and fairly. Third, I now believe that while the voluntary nature of the councillor's role is very noble in principle, and one I wanted to uphold as Minister, it is no longer fit for purpose or sufficient to address the complexities of modern governance.

We need to recognise the invaluable contribution of councillors through providing them with the resources, support and status they deserve and that democracy requires. The 21st-century councillor must be full time, fully paid and equipped with the resources and support they require to serve their communities efficiently.