John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State spoke about additional work, which certainly there is. He also spoke about the intention to have a broad-ranging review of the supports provided for councillors, which is very welcome. Despite the reference to the amount of work done, his presentation was silent on the value of that work. I will not go over the same ground, except to note that Senators have spoken about welcome but modest improvements in allowances, etc. It is probably not the intention, but I get the sense that there is almost a feeling of embarrassment at doing the right thing for those who serve on local councils. In some way, is the Government and are we, generally, embarrassed by or afraid of councillors? I do not know the answer to that question. However, I do not get a sense that we are challenging them and really value the important place they hold.

Councillors are the first responders, the people with an overview. I was elected to this House as an advocate for people with disabilities. I would have known some councillors from attending various party conferences in my work with the Disability Federation of Ireland. My point is that councillors do not just deal with local authority matters; they also deal with health, education, transport and income issues. There are 15 or 16 Departments and 15 or 16 committees in the Houses of the Oireachtas covering all of the different silos of government. However, at community level, the councillor picks up on and tries to deal with whatever comes his or her way. People live in communities and local authority areas. They do not live in the Department of Education and Skills or the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. That is the key issue. We, therefore, need to look at the value and extra support councillors give to the political system.

As Senators and Deputies, we are no different from councillors. We are public representatives elected to act in the public good. We need to see councillors in the same light and give the same status and respect. It is important that we value their role. Recently I supported councillors in bringing forward a motion on the inclusion of people with disabilities. Approximately one third of councils have passed the motion, while the rest are on the way to doing so. They are all supportive and want to pass the motion which they have not questioned. They have said it is great to get good background information on the subject, including on how many people there are in County Tipperary or County Longford who have a disability and their level of education. I do not want to speak about disability issues only, but that is where councillors can really shine. We have to consider strongly how we can pay them better and examine the extra productivity that can be achieved. I would love it if the Minister of State engaged on that issue in the review.