John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here. My election campaign experience was interesting. I have known councillors all of my life through my work and so forth but the campaign was a very telling experience for me. I found that councillors were ready to respond and support local people with disabilities and their families. They did not say that they would not take one step beyond the remit of a local authority member because they understand community innately and that is a great asset. They are the connection and they wear their community interest as proudly as their party badge, if they have one. They work across the chamber with other colleagues, regardless of party, in order to progress matters for their communities.

People with disabilities and others live in local communities; they do not live in the Department of this or that. That is where all of the stuff either interconnects and dovetails or falls apart. That is a critical factor in terms of the role of councillors and local authorities and is something about which we should think more. How can they play a better role in showing how things work or do not work locally? They are in a critical space with deep local knowledge and the State and the Government must honour and support that now.

The Seanad had a lucky escape a few years ago. There was an attempt to abolish it. Local authorities got a pretty tight shaving as well when the whole lower layer was taken out. There is a paralysis regarding giving local authority members decent, 21st century supports to do their job. I want to ask a very provocative question. Does this Government want Ireland to have a functioning and thriving local authority element of democracy? Local government is the first level of democracy. There is a cynicism or fear at the heart of the slowness to deal with this issue. I also believe that members of local authorities and the authorities themselves need to be challenged. It is not all one-way traffic here. Reform is needed and members can play a stronger and better role. It is about more than mileage, travel expenses and allowances.

The Government could solve this problem fairly smartly but is afraid of or nervous about public cynicism about politicians in general. If we do not talk up, support and properly reform this level of democracy, what will happen next? The same people will come after the national level. In that context, it is important not to be afraid. Supporting local councillors and their work is not about supporting party cronies; it is about supporting people who are the first line of democratic participation and representation in this country. If we at a national level do not bolster and support councillors and enhance their role, the next group that the cynics will come after will be the people in these two Chambers. Councillors are our front line troops. We might not be happy about everything they do every day but we have to decide what horse we are backing. Reform is an essential part of this. While we can talk about money, travel, subsistence and so forth, the heart of this issue is not about money. It is about having a flourishing local, community-based, democratic system in Ireland and councillors are at the root of that.

There are two pillars involved and we need to sort out both of them. On the one hand, there is the practical, bread and butter pillar including mileage, travel expenses, allowances and so forth. Remuneration and work related expenses form one pillar. The other pillar, to which we must give attention, is the supports provided to councillors and local authorities, including research supports and facilities for communications and engagement. We need to build on both aspects. We need to give councillors a challenging and meaningful role within their communities and within the extensive civil society sector. Their role is not just about making representations on behalf of people, although that is a vital part of their job. Just as important is public participation, networks, groups and so forth and making sure that they can be supported.