Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I was discussing section 128 of the Local Government Act 2001 which provides that a local authority may by resolution declare a body which promotes the interest of a local community to be a recognised association and allows for the provision of assistance to such an association and for the delegation of certain functions to it. The purpose of this provision is not to relieve local authorities of their statutory responsibilities nor does it imply any substitution of private effort for State and local government funded works. Its purpose is to provide a response to a genuine local demand to promote participation in and ownership of projects at local level, to harness the goodwill of recognised associations and to give purpose and meaning to the partnership model at practical level or to deal with particular local circumstances, such as works on an island, which may be more appropriately carried out directly by a local community.