Mr. Pat Fitzpatrick:

I thank the Cathaoirleach and the members of the committee. First, I apologise on behalf of our president, Ms Gail Dunne, who is unavoidably absent today. I wish members a good morning. I will commence by thanking the Cathaoirleach and committee members for inviting the AILG delegation here to present to the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on the future of local government. As members are aware, my name is Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick. I am a past president of the AILG. I am joined this morning by executive member, Councillor Paraic Brady. I am also joined by our AILG directors, Mr. Tommy Moylan and Mr. Liam Kenny and our public relations officer, Ms Elaine Lynch.

We are delighted to have an opportunity to meet with the committee again this morning to contribute to its work on this important topic. We previously submitted a detailed and substantial submission on the future of local democracy and our local government system to the committee. Our submission covered all the areas listed in the committee’s terms of reference in undertaking its important work. I hope it will contribute to the committee's work, findings and final recommendations. We have followed the various public sessions of the committee and acknowledge the many contributions from the various parties who have our local democracy and our local government system at heart.

The AILG presented to the committee in November of last year when we highlighted our concerns about the future of the local democracy system of local government. We highlight the centralised nature of our local government system, the dominance of central government over local government at national level, the dominance of the executive over the elected council at local level, the continued dilution of powers of the elected council, our limited revenue raising powers and the challenges facing our councillors in terms of abuse and harassment. All these issues were highlighted in the Council of Europe's monitoring report last year and I do not think we need to rehash them here this morning. We are all well aware of the problems with our local government system and the pressure that our local democracy is under, so it is now time for us all to work together collectively and be proactive to find solutions.

It is fair to say that I think we have commenced this process to find solutions, and the AILG has been to the forefront in this. In January of this year, we launched the findings of our AILG-Maynooth University independent research report entitled The 21st Century Councillor in Irish Local Government. The report was a collaborative endeavour between the AILG and Maynooth University to understand the challenging and changing dynamic landscape of local government in Ireland.

The report delved into the heart of what it means to be a local councillor in Ireland today. As evidenced by the considerable volume of primary data generated by our members regarding their experiences, the process ensured the voice of councillors was to the fore throughout the project. That was very important to us. The report highlighted how our members viewed their role as local councillors, the challenges they face, the support they require as we go forward, particularly in the areas of capacity building and upskilling, with a clear appetite for continuous professional training and development, and other ways in which we can be supported in exercising our roles. A further aim of the research report, and an important recommendation, is the need for public awareness and promotional campaigns on the work of councillors and local authorities. The research and report will greatly help the AILG in shaping and guiding our service delivery to our members and responding to their ever-changing needs. Our report has been central to the good conversation that is currently happening regarding local government and local democracy now and in terms of what the future holds.

Following on from the Moorhead report, which led to significant improvements to our members' pay and conditions, we have seen the introduction of maternity leave for female councillors, the first of its kind, along with the option to appoint a temporary substitute for councillors who take maternity leave or a temporary leave of absence. There is significant ongoing work to encourage greater participation in local government, particularly by women and minority groups. I referenced the Council of Europe report. That report was rightly critical of aspects of our local government system and our non-compliance with some principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. However, it also recognised our strong local democracy and the valuable services, numbering more than 1,100, that our local authorities deliver to the public.

To add to these developments, we have the work of this committee on the future of local democracy, the election of the first directly elected Mayor of Limerick on 7 June, the report of the citizens' assembly on a directly elected mayor for Dublin and, of course, 949 newly elected councillors following the local elections in June. This is creating a really positive conversation regarding local government. Collectively, we all must build on this and come forward with a new vision for local government to protect our local democracy into the future. The AILG has commenced work on our future vision for local government. We published our local election manifesto in May in advance of the local elections. It is our intention to develop this into a wider vision for the future of local democratic government and to secure change as we head into national elections and a new programme for government in the next number of months.

I thank members for allowing us to make a presentation this morning.