Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator McFadden for sharing her time with me. I have spoken on quite a number of occasions on this matter so I will stick to a number of points. I welcome the Minister of State back to the House to debate the issue. As Senator McFadden has said, much has been spoken about what is a relatively easy matter with which to get to grips. I have no doubt but that with what has been done so far, there will be big improvements between now and when the review is finalised.

Having an independent chair, the setting up of the review and the timeframe for the review - it has been said it will be later this year - are very important. This must be done fairly quickly. I ask the Minister of State for a commitment today that when the review is finished, whatever the recommendations may be, they will be backdated to when all this started. The review has been ongoing, and we can allow it continue like that, but the Minister of State should give a firm commitment here on it. The review is most important, as this will set the standard and the framework for the future for local authority members. If it needs extra time, that is fair enough, but the Minister of State should at least give a commitment that the review, whatever its findings, will have its recommendations backdated either to now or a number of months ago.

I was first elected to a local authority nearly 40 years ago in 1979.