Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the Minister's commitment in this regard, which is an acknowledgement of the representations made by ourselves and representative bodies of councillors who were rightly concerned that a non-elected member of the public could be elected at CPG level of the local authority, at which level a great deal of management and day-to-day operational issues are decided, in the absence of any members who, while not privy to that body, are guided by it on policy and functional matters of the local authorities from a financial and other perspectives. I welcome the Minister's decision in this regard.

With regard to the selection of a chairperson of the local development companies, will it be open to any member of the committee to put his or her name forward for that position and thereafter be democratically elected? Am I correct that nomination in this regard does not, as initially indicated on Committee Stage, have to come from within the community sector?

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