Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan. I request an update on councillors' remuneration, pay and conditions generally. This is an issue that has been raised many times in the House and still very much a concern for many of the councillors to whom I speak on a regular basis. They believe they are not being properly supported in doing their job and that it is not worth their while doing it. As the Minister of State and everyone present know, the amount of time input by councillors on a daily basis is phenomenal. At a time when we are trying to encourage females and other individuals to enter politics which is a difficult profession, we need to support the foundation of politics, namely, councillors and to make sure they are properly remunerated for the work they do. They do not go into politics for the money. None of us does, but they should be remunerated effectively for the job they do on a daily basis. I know that these issues have been raised many times and that the Minister of State is fully aware of them, but we must be professional in how we do our business.From councillors to Senators, Deputies, Ministers and the Taoiseach, we need to be properly supported in the work we do. To my mind, councillors are not remunerated sufficiently for the work they do. That may be an unpopular thing to say. There is, however, a perception that they earn a lot of money and that anyone engaged in the political arena must be earning a lot of money. Councillors are poorly remunerated for the excellent work most of them do.

I look forward to the Minister of State's response and hope this issue is to the forefront of his mind in the context of his portfolio.