Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In this grouping, amendment No. 57 provides that when the chief officer is seeking nominees for the local community development committee, LCDC, he or she shall do so in consultation with a corporate policy group or CPG. This will provide for an important input to the process via the CPG. However, I should point out that the focus will be on identifying the sectors to be represented on the LCDCs, rather on selecting individuals. In practice, nominating organisations will select their own nominees and submit them to the chief officer. He or she will have no role in selecting the individual nominees, nor will the members of the CPG. This will be provided for in the regulations. This amendment may clarify the position regarding amendment No. 58, which proposed to preclude the elected members from the nominees that would be sought by the chief officer in the context of the role of the chief officer as originally drafted. Given that this process will now be carried out in consultation with the CPG, I expect that that amendment will not be necessary.

The same applies to amendment No. 59 which proposes that the elected members to be nominated to the committee shall have been elected by the local authority. Elected members already have well chosen means of selecting nominations from their number to a range of bodies. In due course, I will bring forward regulations to cover the detailed arrangements for the nomination by various stakeholder bodies to the local community development committees. In doing so, I will consult as necessary with the representatives of elected members to ensure that a fair and reasonable process is followed.

There will not be room for everybody on every committee, otherwise we would have 30 people on these committees. Every organisation cannot be represented, but the LCDCs will consult with all sectors to see how we can ensure that we accommodate people as far as possible.

I do not propose to accept amendments Nos. 51 and 60 concerning membership and the chairmanship of the local community development committees. The legislation, as drafted, reflects the balance between the status of the committee as a committee of the local authority on the one hand and the independence of the committee in the performance of its functions on the other for the purposes of drawing down EU local development funds. One cannot have a situation, other than what I am proposing, if one wants to have the contract agreed for the next round of funds to be with the LCDC. It has to be a bottom-up approach whereby the majority of members are from the community sector. Senator Ó Clochartaigh may agree with me on that. The majority of the LCDC members have to be from the community and therefore that must reflect the EU regulations.