Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

It was in the context of a new Bill we were drafting at the time that the issue arose, and it is an issue of appropriateness. It is because of specific issues regarding a dual role on a specific issue, i.e. under the 2000 Act Údarás na Gaeltachta has planning remits, and who is it advising only itself. The real issue in drafting a new Bill, is if it would be appropriate for people to be members of the two bodies. The answer to the question lies in the functions given to Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Deputy is asking a question of policy and whether someone should be on a local authority while being a member of Údarás or what happens should an issue arise regarding the person who is on the board of Údarás and is also a Member of the Oireachtas. Currently, it is legal to be both a Member of the Oireachtas and a member of Údarás na Gaeltachta. In fact, there is an Oireachtas Member who is a member of the board of Údarás, and obviously that person cannot be a member of a local authority. That is a question of policy.

The other issue depends on the functions that are given to Údarás and whether it is appropriate because of those functions overlapping local authority functions for the people to be on the two bodies. It was not a general philosophical question such as that the Deputy is raising. It was more to do with specific functions both bodies might have that would overlap.

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