Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this important issue and for his support for our local authorities. He rightly pointed out the great work they have done throughout the pandemic. It was a privilege to be in Tipperary County Council with the Senator to meet the management team and staff and note the vital work he is supporting in Tipperary to unlock the potential in many of its towns. Against the backdrop of the restart grants and outdoor spaces schemes to respond to the pandemic, in addition to the Community Call to protect the most vulnerable, the councils have done significant work. I thank the Senator for acknowledging and supporting it.

It is important to note that, under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, the chief executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority. Each local authority is an independent legal entity that acts as the legal employer of staff, and each will have its own HR department dealing with recruitment, performance, training, industrial relations and so on.

Under Building Momentum, the local authority sector has committed to moving continuously towards the greater use of shared and common services. This shared usage, to which the Senator was referring, is important. The local authorities already employ a shared services model to deliver payroll and superannuation payments for the local government sector. This shared service, known as MyPay, is located in Portlaoise and constitutes a business unit of Laois County Council, which acts as the lead authority on behalf of the sector. MyPay currently employs 84 persons to perform its shared services function. From its establishment to the end of 2021, it made payments totalling more than €5 billion.

While certain functions lend themselves to greater efficiencies, as the Senator has pointed out, it is clear that a local authority is best placed to manage its own staff and already has the necessary procedures and policies in place to do so in line with best practice across the public service. However, as the Senator also said, we must have a shared goal in this area.

Regarding performance, the local authority sector operates a performance management and development system, PMDS. This system involves an ongoing process of communication between a supervisor and an employee throughout the year, in support of accomplishing the strategic objectives of an organisation. The PMDS provides staff with clear objectives for their jobs and plenty of opportunities for feedback and discussion with their supervisor. The system also has a provision for dealing with underperformance should this arise, including individual performance improvement plans and a link to the disciplinary procedure if there is a failure to improve over time.

In addition, local authorities have customer service charters outlining their commitment to providing high-quality customer services and customer-service action plans outlining standards for monitoring and improving customer service. A people strategy is also in place for the local authority sector. It aims to enable and empower a motivated, committed workforce to provide quality services to citizens.

Chief executives are responsible for staffing matters in local authorities and are supported in this role by the Local Government Management Agency, which provides expert advice on the full range of human resource issues. I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. There will always be scope for improvement in the provision of shared services and how we respond to the needs and demands of our citizens and community in delivering those services through our local authorities.