Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I thank my colleague, Deputy Bannon, for sharing time and welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I have been aware of the Minister's consultations on the legislation and have read some of the transcripts of meetings of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Minister and joint committee have been open to consultation and have invited submissions on the legislation.

I am particularly pleased the Local Authority Members Association is taking the Bill seriously. Its submission focused on expenditure limits during local elections and the need to take cognisance of the different types of electoral areas and so forth. For example, we have borough, city and county councils, rural and urban areas and sparsely and densely populated areas. The tiered expenditure limits the Minister proposes will go some way towards addressing these disparities. The elections in June will be a test run for the legislation.

From my experience of standing in local elections, the money one spends is not as important as the number of people one meets, the number of doors one knocks and the extent of one's connection with the local community. Having been elected to Cork City Council on two occasions, I believe there are few better ways of making an impact on the electorate other than direct contact. The limit of €7,500 proposed for a candidate standing in an election to a borough council does not appear to be excessive.

The Acting Chairman, Deputy O'Flynn, served on the same local authority as I did and will be aware of the importance of connecting with people and working on the ground if one wants to be elected.

See this speech in context