Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for tabling this Commencement matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, who is at a housing conference in the city.

In June 2015 independent statutory committees were appointed to carry out reviews of local government boundaries in Athlone, Carlow, Drogheda and Waterford. In each case the committee was asked to carry out a review of the boundary between the respective local authorities and make recommendations on those boundaries and any consequential matter it considered necessary in the interests of effective local government. The committees were not established on the basis of specific proposals or plans to alter the boundaries. The purpose of the committee in each case was to undertake an objective review of the issue and, in the event that there was a recommendation that the boundary be altered, to provide in its report relevant details in that regard and supporting information.

The main rationale for undertaking the boundary reviews is that in each case there is a significant overspill of population into another county based on the statistics reported in the 2011 census.In the case of Drogheda, the town has expanded into County Meath, with a population of 5,983 reported as located in the latter at the 2011 census, which equates to nearly 16% of the total town and environs population of 38,578 citizens. As the Senator noted, that has since increased considerably and the latest census figures will soon be available for 2016.

The boundary committees were due to submit their reports by the end of March 2016 but these have been delayed due, in part, to the volume of submissions received as part of the public consultation processes, and also in view of the fact the committees considered that further work was required in order to complete the reviews. Accordingly, the reviews are continuing, with an anticipated date for submission of the committees’ reports being within the next few weeks. As the committees are, by law, independent in the performance of their functions, it is not appropriate to comment further on the matter in advance of their reports. Needless to say, careful consideration will be given to the committee reports when they are submitted.

As members will be aware, the Government programme provides that, by mid-2017, a report will be prepared for the Government and the Oireachtas on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability and to ensure that local government structures and responsibilities strengthen local democracy. It is envisaged that any matters arising from the boundary committee reports will be addressed in the context of the preparation of that report.