Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge this is a large Bill. The last time there was a big review of the local government system I was a member of a local authority and would have said what would and would not work. We have the benefit of seeing how it played out. I also acknowledge the work the staff have put into producing the legislation. It comes as no surprise that I have a difficulty with the direction in which the legislation has gone. It is a missed opportunity in terms of the reform agenda for the entire political apparatus of the State. That is my view and I accept the Minister has a completely different one, which is entirely valid. He will, however, accept it is okay for me to have a different opinion from him.

The key issue in terms of the delivery of changes in local government will not only be the institutional arrangements. It will be changes in the culture, which will be difficult to achieve. For example, some of those changes will be driven by how the local authorities are funded from now on. I mention the distribution of resources not only at local level between the centre and the municipal level but between the central government and the local government level through the local government fund in addition to the local property tax. There must be a fair distribution model. The needs and resources model obviously must be looked at in that context. We were told there was some workforce planning underway which will be incredibly important because there is a big mismatch there. One cannot deliver adequate public services if one does not have the people do so.

The Minister mentioned the €600 million, which we did not really get to debate, that will come from the Local Government Fund as opposed to the local property tax. That is a very large amount of money. Change will be driven by the demands of the public for services. They will want to see a relationship between what they pay for and what they get but that will not be evident if the money is withheld at national level. We are going about it the wrong way. In Europe, property taxes are generated and spent locally but that is not the case here.

I look forward to seeing the amendments made in the Seanad when the Bill comes back to us and to the report being done by Fr. Seán Healy because it will be an important element in engaging with the community and voluntary sector, which is a very important one. I welcome the fact the Minister said this will be an ongoing process. Members on this side of the House will hold him to that.

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