Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the sentiment of Senators Bacik and McDowell on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. The manner in which it has been handled by Government is very disappointing. I was under the impression we had entered a new era, the politics of consensus. What we have is that an individual's pet project, which he wishes to see over the line, and the members of Government collectively trying to facilitate that. That is very disappointing. What is going on is clear. We had our suspicions and Senator McDowell highlighted what our friends in Europe thought during the week. Courtesy of the national broadcaster, we had that relayed to us. In light of the fact the GRECO report is in the public domain, we need to think again about this Bill.

I was listening to the radio this morning and I wish to compliment Newstalk on the discussion on the terms and conditions of councillors. They had a member of the local authority on the programme who said that 104 members of local authorities had stepped down from the role in the past four years. That highlights the difficulties for local authority members, and he put it that we were asking people to do a full-time job for effectively a part-time wage. I know that Government has belatedly grasped this issue and is conducting a review. I hope a report will issue shortly on the terms and conditions for councillors. It is vitally important that the report is fast-tracked and that we reach a conclusion. Local democracy is the most important layer of democracy. It is critically important that the right people get elected and want to participate in local government. I look forward to the Government bringing forward that report as a matter of urgency.