John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

If the Minister attended the House we could also take the opportunity to ask him about better local government. Local councillors are, in theory, expected to pay a fee to consult planning details but in most cases the fee is dispensed with. It should be dispensed with in full, however. We could also examine the implementation of the special policy committees and how they should operate.

We could also ask the Minister to provide a facility for councillors whereby they would have access to specialised information. As we know, city and county managers have access to such information when it comes to implementing policy in their respective areas but councillors do not, unless they pay for it. That situation could easily be addressed through the centralised provision of information to councillors around the country so they would be better informed.