Mr. John Carroll:

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to address the committee and the invitation to attend. The invitation to today's committee hearing was made in the context of my being the Fine Gael general secretary. My role relates to the administration of the party, with policy being a function specifically reserved for the parliamentary party, subject to the overall authority of an Ard-Fheis.

Within that context, I am conscious that, directly and indirectly, a number of Fine Gael public representatives have contributed to the policy debate on this topic, either here today through membership of the committee or previously through the committee’s work already. I defer to those contributions.

My role in Fine Gael headquarters as pertains to local government is twofold: first and most obviously, with regard to the selection of candidates for local elections and the conduct of those campaigns and, second, in support of our elected councillors. The importance of local democracy to our party organisationally is evident from the huge efforts made by the party at member, branch, district, constituency and national level in support of our local election candidates. The local elections are a massive effort for our party and all involved within it. In the most recent local elections, 338 candidates were nominated by Fine Gael to contest those elections, with 245 of those candidates being successfully elected. Of those 245 elected councillors, 184 were outgoing councillors and 58 of those elected were first-time candidates.

Every person who puts themselves forward for election to local government plays a vital role in the strength of our democracy and the encouragement and facilitation of such is very important. We can talk all we want about the structures of local government but it is the calibre of the people and the people coming into local government that is a crucial mechanic within all that. Political parties are consistently the most effective method of facilitating such participation and facilitating it successfully. I think all the research done by academics on this acknowledges that.

As an organisation rooted in community with branches in more than 800 locations across Ireland, the vast majority of our candidates emerge within the organisation and are selected by them either as members themselves or as people with strong community backgrounds who are identified and encouraged by our members to run. Those candidates are supported from head office, primarily in training, briefing, design and other similar services, while the local organisation provides the logistical and financial support in most instances. Councillors, once elected, enjoy a high level of autonomy within their local authority groups within Fine Gael. As a party we believe in putting forward strong, credible candidates to the public for election and then trusting their judgment within their council group when elected.

Looking to the future of local democracy, the role of political parties is crucial. The quality and calibre of the candidates coming forward and their rooting in community is essential. Political parties rooted within their communities are key in facilitating that. At a surface level, it appears that across local authorities where there are strong and cohesive local authority political groups, those local authorities are able to act decisively and effectively, while it is also evident that those local authorities with a high degree of political fragmentation and a high number of Independents are not as effective and are more likely to stop-start initiatives.

The issue of independent advice and support has been raised repeatedly within this hearing today and more generally. In considering that question, it is important to look at the way political parties are funded within this country. Political party funding within Ireland is based on the Dáil elections and our funding is within that context. If we are looking at independent advice and a provision of it, political parties may have a role to play but that would require some structural reform.

More generally, when considering the future of local democracy, it is important this committee gives thought to the role of political parties generally and supports the facilitation of same.