Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the initiative and for acknowledging the presence of the councillors in the Gallery from AILG and LAMA. This Minister has engaged with representative groups of councillors and with us. It is the first time in 15 years that we have seen the advancement of the cause of councillors. Many of us have served on local authorities and recognise the importance of being a councillor. As Senator Boyhan said, many are happy to have a role developing their city or county and community. Today's debate is about how we can collectively enhance the supports available to councillors and local authority members.

The Minister has heard the concerns of the representative groups so I will not articulate them today. However, I reiterate the importance of the allowance for city council members. It is also important to pay tribute to the members of LAMA and the AILG for the presentation they gave us today in advance of this debate, which outlines in stark terms their increasing workload and the increase in their geographical areas. I welcome the announcement by the Minister on the possible change to boundaries in this regard.

We also need to look at how we can change local government and the Minister spoke about changing the role of the Lord Mayor of Cork City Council. I will support him in that. We are working to ensure we can take on board the concerns articulated to us by members of the AILG and LAMA so that the package - the first in 15 years - can be really tangible. Other Ministers have talked but this Minister is delivering. It may not be perfect for everybody but there are changes which will be of benefit. We must ensure, together, that we bring more change and more benefits. In the cities the workload has increased and the number of meetings have increased. We are also probably dealing with more people than in similar rural constituencies, though I recognise that rural constituencies and municipal districts have a wider geographical area.