Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. I welcome the Bill before the House, which addresses the reform of local government. Senators will be aware that reform of the public sector has been on the political and administrative agendas for some time. When I was elected back in 1991 the terminology "reform of local government" was around then, but we have seen very little reform in the interim. We must obviously start somewhere, so I commend the Bill to the House.

In 2008, a Government efficiency review required Departments to examine overall administrative spending, including that of State bodies and agencies under their remit. The final report of the local government efficiency review group contained 106 recommendations, some of which are being implemented under the provisions of the Bill before us.

A number of other reports have also been published outlining the best way to reform the public service, including the OECD review of the public service and the Green Paper on local government reform. The previous speaker referred to local government reform so I will not say too much about it. However, I hope that when the forthcoming reforms are announced the Minister will attend this House to consult with Senators, as our electorate comprises local government councillors. That may change with the review of the Seanad, however, if it is not abolished.

The programme for Government draws on many of the recommendations made in many of the reports to which I have referred. The programme also contains a commitment to transfer back to local government many of the functions currently being performed by these agencies. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that, where possible, functions of agencies should be transferred to the responsible local government body.

Section 4 refers to the abolition of the reference to health boards but a lot of good work is being done in the health area through local councils' community departments, particularly for youth mental health. For example, the Headstrong agency works with local councils and, given current suicide rates, local government could be utilised in this area. Headstrong has six or seven groups around the country, so it should be possible to utilise this facility as part of the current reforms. Many people who are on the brink of committing suicide require somebody to talk to, so a lot could be done by local government community departments in conjunction with voluntary agencies.

I realise that the health function of local government has been gone for some time, but it is time to examine bringing back something similar to the community, rather than abolishing agencies. Local government is closest to people who are in trouble, and such services are easier to access than those that are centralised.

Last November, the Government's statement on public service reform set out a rationale for reducing the total number of State bodies. The Minister of State has already referred to the number being reduced. The objective of the measures will deliver enhanced services and efficiencies, together with ensuring a more focused and democratically accountable public service. The measures are therefore to be welcomed. The Bill will facilitate the agency rationalisation programme currently being undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, thus reducing the number of agencies.

While discussing the reduction or abolition of such agencies, it is nonetheless important to pay tribute to their good work. They can, however, continue the same work with fewer bodies following amalgamation. The Minister of State referred to the Limerick Regeneration Agency whose term of office expired this year, and the fact that everything is up for review to see how it can be done better.

The Local Government Computer Services Board did fantastic work at a time when local authorities were not as au fait with computerisation as they are now. In the computer age, it is now possible to do so much more with fewer people and less office space. One can now put into a computer information that long ago required a storeroom to hold. The objective of the Bill is to deliver enhanced services through this streamlining process.

Section 5(2) provides for the provision of services, training and equipment relating to IT and communications technology. I am curious to know if this will apply to councillors as well as administrative staff who run the councils. I have spent long enough in councils to know that training is an important element for councillors as well as for staff. I look forward to the Minister of State's positive response on that point. It is a prerequisite in every area for people to be IT proficient, so such training should be facilitated. Most people are IT literate, but there may be some who are not.

Section 5 further provides for the streamlining of administrative services, which is also to be welcomed, along with cost-effectiveness and centralisation where necessary. The section also provides for the promotion of public safety awareness and the organisation of training measures on public safety. This is an important provision and there is a lot of ambiguity among councils on how safety guidelines are being implemented or interpreted.

It has been brought to my attention that safety regulations can vary between councils. In some instances, it may take a man and his mother to put out cones on a road or to cut a bit of grass. Another council, however, may not need to close a road for 24 hours to cut grass. Guidelines on the interpretation of safety regulations in this area would be useful.

The same section refers to the provision of research and advisory information services. Consultancy is also mentioned, but that should be greatly reduced as many people can undertake their own consultation through Google and Wikipedia. There are many such research aids, so the use of consultants should be cut back.

In the last Dáil debate on local government legislation, the Minister of State spoke about the Limerick Regeneration Agency, which is being amalgamated into a new organisation under the auspices of Limerick City Council. I hope that will carry out the relevant work for the entire Limerick area, thus ensuring that the job is done.

I welcome the disbandment of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, the Library Council, although in its day it did good work. I worked in the UCG library but local and county librarians have now taken over the role of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna. One librarian - who is not from Dublin in case anybody may think I am identifying a librarian from the capital - told me that the Library Council turned out to be a total and utter talking shop in the end. I do not know if that is true but it was said to me. Nonetheless, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna did valuable work, but that body has now been subsumed by the county librarians' body and all the staff have been transferred.

The overall pooling of resources is good, but how much are we saving? The Minister of State mentioned quite a small amount of savings that will be achieved in this initial tranche. Another Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, recently reformed the framework for managed print services for all the organisations and it is expected it will result in savings of €22 million. We are not talking about peanuts in terms of the savings that will be achieved from amalgamating bodies; we are talking about achieving efficiencies and increasing effectiveness and work productivity.