Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá áthas orm go bhfuil deis agam labhairt ar an mBille tábhachtach seo, atá ag tabhairt go leor leasuithe isteach.
I would like to comment on the positive suggestions put forward by my colleague, Senator Cullinane. We recognise the positive elements in the Bill although the major issue we identify is in regard to local democracy. I get a sense from the Government benches that their Members are putting the best foot forward but it is a case of Et tu, Brute, and their colleagues on the town and county councils will not be welcoming the Bill as much as they are trying to do.

I take issue with some of the changes proposed for rural areas. I will outline a number of them as I go through my contribution. In fairness we are having a comprehensive debate on the Water Services (No. 2) Bill. We all know that water is a resource which everybody needs and Sinn Féin has long called for a co-ordinated approach on the island of Ireland toward ensuring that water is brought to where it is needed when it is needed. Under Sinn Féin proposals, reformed local authorities would continue to own, maintain and develop the public water system to provide water for human consumption free at the point of delivery. We oppose the Government's plan to use public funds to install domestic water meters and to introduce water charges. Water services need to be kept under the democratic control of local authorities. The establishment of Irish Water will do nothing to improve the distribution or quality of water. It will be a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Energy and we have seen in the past week that the Government intends to sell off part of this company. We believe those proposals should be abandoned. If we look at economic development, the Government has failed to develop a coherent island-wide spatial plan for economic development and to reach the target of having 50% of foreign direct investment directed to areas outside Cork and Dublin. Sinn Féin proposes that local authorities will plan for economic development that benefits the entire community. Sinn Féin believes local government could and should play a lead role in conjunction with Government in promoting economic growth and jobs at a local level. I note that this issue was raised this morning on Raidió na Gaeltachta in the context of western regional development, and that EU funding could have been applied for but because of the Government's lack of interest in national development and development in the west, no applications were made to a certain fund in the European Union for infrastructural developments. It is not too late to do that and we call on the Government to take another look at it.

Our members in local government would adopt and implement plans for economic development. Local authorities should provide incubation space and starter grants for local indigenous industry. Sinn Féin would develop an economic spatial plan in full consultation with local authorities, working alongside State agencies such as the Irish development agency, Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland. One of the main concerns in rural areas in particular is the future of Leader programme and the centralisation of Leader under the local authorities. Again the Minister nods his head but the fear is that directors of services, county managers, or CEOs as they will be, will get their mitts on the money, the decision-making which takes place at a very local level will be more centralised, and the priorities of county councils will take over from the priorities of local communities. I think that would be a retrograde step and taking away much-needed investment. We have seen that in places such as Connemara, for example in Forum Connemara, based in Letterfrack, or Comhar na nOileán Teo or Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta which were based in the Gaeltacht. It is hard enough to get a local authority executive or somebody working for the county council to come out to those areas, never mind to understand the needs of the local people when it comes to economic development.

Sinn Féin would return the power for roads and transport back where it belongs, to democratically elected local councillors. We would increase the availability and use of public transport, which means making it affordable and accessible. For too long road building and transport planning has become a central government function. This process has been devoid of democracy or accountability. Local roads are micromanaged by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Road and transport link people to their communities and work, while also linking goods to markets. Local authorities must be central to their planning. Again I see this development as being linked to the changes in the rural transport programme that are being brought forward. This has been criticised in rural areas because of over-centralisation of the rural transport programmes under the county council, taking away from the local knowledge on the ground of managing those scarce resources. Instead of cutting back in these areas, there should be more funding going into the rural transport programmes to make them even more effective.

Local authorities must become central to accountable policing and crime prevention. Progress has been made with the introduction of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, which laid the foundation for joint policing committees and local policing fora, but more work needs to be done. Joint policing committees must be reformed. They should become more like the district policing partnerships in the North with elected councillors and community representatives having a direct input into local policing plans and strategies. Joint policing committees must also be able to hold the Garda to account. Joint policing committees should be accountable to the district, city or county council, publishing and presenting quarterly reports to the council. Joint policing committees should have the power to draft and implement policing and community safety strategies, establish local neighbourhood watch and community alert schemes targeted at local areas, and introduce crime prevention measures, including restorative justice programmes. We in Sinn Féin want to see a fully integrated and standardised approach to policing and community safety. We will appoint an assistant commissioner whose responsibility will be to work with local authorities and oversee agreed strategies. When one takes away the hype, this Bill is yet another attempt to undermine local government.

Our current structures are not fit for purpose but this Bill is not the solution. It will only further undermine local democracy. Obviously there are major concerns about the abolition of town councils. The previous speaker, Senator Mullins, mentioned his own local area of Ballinasloe, but Tuam, Loughrea and Westport and many more town councils have shown their concerns. One of the issues local authorities have had in recent years has been the policy of the moratorium on recruitment in certain areas. Even though there have been significant cuts in the staffing, one of the biggest problems has been that it was not a targeted reduction in the numbers and has had a detrimental effect. Although we recognise there are a number of things in the Bill that can be seen as positive overall, we cannot support the Bill in its entirety.

Táimid ag súil go mór leis an díospóireacht. We are looking forward to the debate and to bringing forward constructive proposals on how the Bill might be amended. We hope the Minister will take our proposals on board. Tá súil agam go dtógfaidh an tAire ar bord na leasuithe a bheidh á moladh againn.