Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister and particularly his statement which will go down in history as setting the context for the reform of local government. The Minister has not yet made the announcement but in the context he has set I look forward to hearing it when it is made.

I welcome Councillor Enda McGloin to the Chamber who is a member of the executive of LAMA and who was in the AV room last week putting forward some valuable suggestions. I hope we will be able to facilitate the LAMA delegation in the environment committee as requested.

I have been listening to discussions on local government reform for more than 20 years since being elected to local government, and even longer than that. In the lifetime of the previous Government we had a Green Paper, discussions mostly on directly elected mayors, an OECD report, the McCarthy report, a Commission on Taxation review and the Local Government Efficiency Review Group. The Minister will correct me if I am wrong but I understand the Minister intends bringing forward a White Paper. If that is the case, when does he intend to publish that? The local elections will be in the not too distant future and it is important that we have certainty as soon as possible.

At the outset we must ask what we want from our system of local government. I want to see a system based on strong local democracy, community spirit and citizen empowerment allied to an effective and cost efficient service delivery. We must ensure that in creating an efficient system of local administration we do not wipe out local democracy and good local government.

What we have seen to date on any type of reform or pursuit of an agenda over the years has been an agenda of reductionism as opposed to real reform. We have had tinkering with local government and no real attempt to reform it. We have seen powers and functions removed from local authorities. Certain functions are best administered centrally but central Government is not best equipped to grasp the inimitable conditions of each locality. It is preferable for local government to carry out that job because locally elected institutions employing their own specialist staff are better placed to understand and interpret the conditions and the needs of local communities.

The over-centralisation of government here is inefficient and fundamentally incompatible with a healthy Republic. I did not make up that statement. It is from the new politics document issued by our party. The Minister probably had a part in composing it and from what he said earlier I believe he is living up to that statement of empowering the citizen. I commend our party on that statement. We believe there must be a shift of power from the centre to the citizen to create a strong, vibrant civil society and from what the Minister has said to date that is what he intends to do.

I have listened to the Minister speak on numerous occasions since he took up office. The last time I heard him speak on reform was at the LAMA seminar where his statement was very welcome. The previous Minister for local government, Mr. John Gormley, stated that we need to ensure greater connection between local government and local people. That was a fine sentiment but he failed to follow it up with any action. He published a Green Paper but nothing happened after that. This Minister intends to do business and I look forward to him delivering on that.

In general, national politicians have not taken any lead on local government reform. Speaking at the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland, AMAI, conference three years ago, Dr. Aodh Quinlivan from UCC stated that national politicians have shown a lack of respect for local government and local democracy. He said that national government's main concern is preserving power at the central level and continuing with an intensely centralised model which is suffocating local government. That must change and from what the Minister stated in this document, I know he is of like mind.

As I stated when I spoke on the issue of local government reform in the House on 18 January, having spent 20 years working at local government level I feel an onus, in serving the people who elected me, to enunciate again that reform of local government should be used, in the first instance, for the devolution of functions to local level.

The Minister mentioned town councils. That area needs review but I do not agree with the McCarthy report from 2009 which recommended that all town councils be abolished. That has been supported by the AMAI, LAMA and ACC. I am aware that the Minister intends to make some changes. Changes must be made but functions must be streamlined. We must acknowledge the strength and benefits of municipal governments and local democracy representation but we must also ensure value for money and efficiency in administration and operational procedures. I mentioned the devolution and expansion of the role of local government. I have seen the part local government can play in local democracy.

The Minister made three points on 18 January in reply to a question from me on clarifying and enhancing the role of local government in economic development and enterprise support. I welcome that statement. We met representatives of the Irish Local Development Network yesterday evening and I look forward to the report of the steering group. Does the Minister have any idea when the report of the steering group will be published?

We must keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity. The European charter of local self-government, to which we are a signatory, states that local self-government denotes the right and ability of local authority to regulate and manage a substantial share of the authorities. We must keep in mind subsidiarity, democracy, accountability and responsibility.

I say to all councillors - and I was once a councillor - that with powers come responsibility. The Minister spoke about the disconnect between fund-raising and the way local government was denuded from the late 1970s on but councillors are to blame also. All councillors must keep in mind that with powers come responsibilities and every councillor must be prepared to take powers if they are given them and use them appropriately.