James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I agree wholeheartedly with the ably-put remarks of my colleague, Senator Tuffy. Local authorities are there to provide for development and to ensure there is an effective system of local governance in place throughout the land. The people who should decide whether we represent them at local, national or European level are the citizens of the State. They should also be permitted to choose whether or not we represent them at more than one level simultaneously. Some people are capable of taking on two roles and delivering very well in both spheres of action. Anyone who has visited a country which does not enjoy true democracy will know that its population is crying out for people power. It should be the citizen who decides through the ballot box who represents them and in what manner. If a representative is not doing his job locally and nationally the people will not be long turfing him out. True democracy leaves power in the hands of the people. It is wrong to do otherwise, which is why the Fine Gael group will oppose this section.

The gratuity pension payment has been the subject of hard and frequent campaigns by the local authority members' association. A number of people who lost their seats in the last local authority election had given between 25 and 35 years of service to local government, but they left the role without receiving a penny. That is a sad reflection on our society and our Parliament. These people worked hard on our behalf in a voluntary capacity at a time when there was no proper remuneration in place. I plead with the Minister to consider those people when he sets out to introduce a pension for local authority members. We live in a democracy and all people should be treated equally, whether they represent us in the Oireachtas or on local authorities. We must get this right for once and for all.