Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. Like many of my colleagues have said, this package is welcome.

I also want to speak about the unequal treatment of the 232 councillors in the Dublin local authorities, Galway city and Cork city. They do not qualify for the extra €1,000. I understand the reason given that they are not part of municipal areas. They are all part of area committees that undertake the same work as municipal areas, a fact that should be acknowledged. There are more councillors in city areas but they must deal with a high population. The issues that they must deal with, such as housing, put a great strain on councillors and result in very large workloads. Being a councillor is not ideal. We will be unable to attract people with the appropriate level of commitment that a local authority member requires if we do not address this matter. I urge the Minister to address this unequal allowance.