Jim Higgins (Fine Gael)

It is patently wrong that the institutes of technology which are now producing third level graduates should be disenfranchised. Let us take Dublin City University and Limerick City University as an example. They are two top universities, formerly NIHEs, which hit the ground running and set such a standard that traditional universities were left floundering in their wake and had to change the manner in which they conducted their affairs. Limerick City University, DCU and the Sligo Institute of Technology should be included.

I concur with the role of councillors and the acknowledgement by everybody here of that role. We do not do so to curry favour with them. They play a very valuable and completely under-estimated and under-rated role. Their superb work is largely unrecognised and was, until recently, financially unrewarded. I pay tribute to the previous Minister for the Environment and Local Government for acknowledging the role of councillors. The issue of providing pensions for councillors has been raised. Why not? These people are filling a very valuable democratic role at local level. All politics is local and should be acknowledged in tangible terms.