Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 77:

In page 57, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following:“(c) a representative of each local community development committee established in accordance with section 49A, who shall be—
(i) the chairperson of the local community development committee,
or
(ii) where the chairperson is employed by, or seconded to, the local authority, such other member of the local community development committee as the committee may decide,”.

The purpose of amendment No. 77 and the linked technical amendments is to include a representative from the local community development committee, LCDC, in the membership of the corporate policy group. The membership of the latter includes the chairpersons of all strategic policy committees, all of whom are elected members. The local community development committee is an important new committee of the local authority. Owing to the more diverse membership of the LCDC, there will be many instances where the chairperson will not be an elected member of a local authority.

The corporate policy group is central to the management of the business of the local authority and it will be important that the voice of the local community development committee is heard at the CPG. This amendment provides that the person representing the LCDC on the CPG will normally be the chairperson of that committee, with provision for a substitute where the members of the LCDC have selected, from their membership, an official of the local authority as chairperson. It would not be appropriate for an official of the local authority to sit on the co-ordinating body for policy making within the local authority. As drafted, this amendment reflects the importance of the local community development committee, while respecting the differentiation in roles between the elected members and officials of the council.

Amendments Nos. 78, 82 and 83 are technical amendments consequential to the insertion of the text to include representation for the LCDCs on the CPG. Once we remove provision for representation of political parties from the CPG, as I outlined, and add the representative of the LCDC, the membership of the CPG will be as follows: a cathaoirleach; the chairs of the strategic policy committee; the chair or representative of the local community development committee; and the cathaoirleach or nominee of each municipal district if a municipal district is not already represented with an SPC chair.

This will be the appropriate membership to allow the corporate policy group to discharge its role of co-ordinating the business of the council with greater efficiency.