Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A Chathaoirligh, I thank you for selecting this item for the Commencement debate today. I welcome the Minister and thank him for coming to the House to address this matter. I welcome that the Minister has initiated a review of the local community and development committees, LCDCs. They are a very important aspect of local government. They are relatively new in that they have only been in existence for a few years, and it is timely, appropriate and right that the Minister should carry out a review. It is important that there be substantial input from the local elected members themselves, as well as the executive in all of the 31 local authorities. There are different views, perspectives and challenges, as well as different understandings of the function of the LCDCs and how they complement rather than duplicate services. There will always be a tension between non-elected members and elected members in every council. I hear from some councillors that they feel there is a certain conflict with those whom they see as non-elected people. They may be community leaders and pillars within their own community but they are not necessarily political people with the democratic mandate county councillors have. This is presenting a challenge. However, this is not a bad thing. I welcome the contributions of civic-minded and active people in the community. That is really important but we must get the balances right.

There are also issues around the funding of the LCDCs. I refer to the transitional period for people who have come in from being community activists and who ultimately may wish to go on to seek election for any political party or none. Some people have had to stand down and with that, one loses continuity, experience and knowledge. In addition, there is always the ongoing challenge of funding. I thank the Minister for coming here. It is great and timely that he has initiated this review. However, we need greater clarity on the terms of reference for the review and its particular focus. I am also calling for a timeline for its delivery.