Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ministers of State for coming in today. The Labour Party proposes this Bill because we believe it is necessary. My party colleagues around the country felt that getting rid of town councils was a mistake and that reforming and regenerating how they worked was the right thing to do, but we went a step too far. I am thinking of people like Mr. Sean Counihan in Killarney, who has been chasing us on this issue for years. It was a mistake, and it was one made by Fine Gael and the Labour Party. We need to deal with it now. I thank in advance Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and others who have said they would support such a change.

This is a practical Bill to bring back town councils for towns that have 5,000 people or more, and it is necessary. In my county, Nenagh, Thurles and other towns need town councils, because town councils are on the money when it comes to issues relating to real things that affect people in towns. One can see how the municipal districts and the areas covered by the council at county council level do not get down into the detail as quickly as possible.

Our proposal is cost neutral, which means it should be embraced even more. It also gives the opportunity to right the wrongs of situations, such as Ballincollig and other towns, that did not have town councils when they should have had then, while other areas had town councils historically which maybe should not have. The Government has an opportunity to right a wrong as well as dealing with something that is needed.

It is also apparent that it is needed when at various announcements and when dignitaries come to an area the representative is not from the area. He or she could be from the other side of the county, doing his or her best, and be a good person across a whole range of different political views, but not actually from the area. In a situation where there are town councils, they would obviously elect one of their own in order that if there were a major tourism initiative, a major announcement or a dignitary coming to the town, he or she would be able to deal with it and do so with local knowledge. There would be no need to ask for directions or where the event was on.

We recommend that a local government commission should have between nine and 15 members.

We are open to compromise in how that works but that is our proposal. In fairness to the Minister, he has acknowledged that there is a need for a change. I refer to the changes made to the local government boundaries. I looked at my own local district municipal unit of Nenagh. The councillors from all parties were expected to cover an area that extended from the Limerick border to the Clare border and all the way to the Galway border. It was incredible, crazy and impossible for many councillors, paid €17,000 or €18,000 a year, to cover that area. That has been acknowledged, as the councillors are in the same municipal area now. The local electoral area has been changed and made more realistic for their area of coverage. That was a step in a positive direction. Now we need to go further when it comes to dealing with the return of town councils and add to the progress made in recent times. When it comes to town councils, there may be some push back against this within the local government administration. I know what I am talking about in this regard from previous jobs I held.

Ultimately, Deputy Eoghan Murphy is the Minister and we are the people's forum. Town councils may have been a nuisance for some in local authority administrations. I do not accept that. I believe the decision was wrong and it is up to us, the Minister and the Government to be strong and to support this Bill because we know it is the right thing to do. Walking around the corridors of Leinster House, the majority of Members in the Minister's party, my party and in Fianna Fáil - no other party is represented in the House at the moment - know that we have to do this. If the current Government will not do it, it will have to be done by a future Government. I ask the Government to take the opportunity we have now to deal with this issue and show a bit of progressiveness and embrace what we are doing. The Government can change it if it wants. We are not stuck in the mud on every single detail. We will embrace any changes that the Government wants to bring forward but I believe that the Dáil is going to vote to back this Bill. I hope the Government will accept it in that spirit.

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