Frances Black (Independent)
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I sincerely thank all the witnesses for coming in. One of the things I have found valuable about this whole process has been the diversity of voices from which we have heard, including councillors; local government representative organisations, North and South; former Ministers of State with responsibility for local government; party leaders; Secretaries General; and all sorts of fantastic experts. A wealth of expertise and experience has been shared with us.

It has been a very enjoyable experience and I have learned so much. It will make for an excellent report, which it is to be hoped will stimulate a real reckoning with our overcentralised system and the deeply challenging and unfair conditions councillors contend with when they serve their communities. My hope is around the implementation of the report, which is absolutely vital. I have seen many reports come out of the Oireachtas. I am concerned about their implementation.

I will raise a couple of matters and try to get everything in that I can. We all know that the Seanad will soon debate the Planning and Development Bill, which is colossal legislation with many elements to it. I am concerned that parts of the Bill will empower the Minister to override plans made by local councillors, among other provisions that further centralise power. In consultation with local government stakeholders, my group and I have tabled amendments on these issues, which will be debated in due course. Some of the witnesses made submissions on the Bill during pre-legislative scrutiny by their parties, or their parties have spoken about it in the Dáil, but I want to hear more from them about their views on the Bill's impact on local government. It is vital that we hear a little more about that today.

I will bring up the issue of secretarial and policy assistance and support for councillors. It has come up in a number of submissions to the committee. This is very important. Councillors needs more support. They have to contend with issues of huge technical and social complexity and a large volume of correspondence. We would all struggle to function as Members without our staff. I want to hear a little about some ways of accessing supports that would help councillors represent their constituents better.

I have raised the issue of the abuse faced by councillors and election candidates numerous times throughout this process and in the Chamber. I am glad the issue was referenced in several of the opening statements. I have huge respect for anyone who puts himself or herself forward for election in this environment. I find it particularly powerful that so many migrants, ethnic minorities, women and LGBT people ran for election, despite the disproportionate and vicious abuse they had to contend with, some of which the witnesses touched on. More needs to be done to provide security for councillors and to regulate social media. Social media companies have proved unwilling or unable to adequately regulate themselves. It is about what else needs to be done to secure the integrity of our democratic process and the safety and well-being of our election candidates.

I would like to hear a little more about what needs to be done around getting women elected. The phrase "family friendly" was mentioned. I would love to hear more about that. There are young women in the Civil Engagement Group who have babies and it is a real struggle. They work very hard. I know from listening to councillors that it is also a significant issue for them.

I would like to hear a little more about the mandatory consultative forums referenced by one of the witnesses and the recommendations in that regard. We want to hear from them today in respect of the recommendations in our report but, again, it is all about implementation, which I always come back to. It is to be hoped that the recommendations will be implemented.