Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. My understanding, from the conversation I had with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, is that it is waiting for the Minister of State to complete this work in order for this to proceed from the Department. Does he have any idea when that work will be completed? Is it planned to have it done ahead of the local elections in 2024?

As to the assertion that this is not being done because the Moorhead report did not recommend it, it is unusual to do something so out of sync with norms in terms of gratuity just because a report did not recommend it. That strikes me as an unusual reason to do it.

This is part of the bigger conversation. Among the AILG, the LAMA and councillors, there is much worry about what we want from local government and local democracy. It is time we had an honest conversation about our local government system and what we want from it. Do we want to continue the current system of administration or to move to one of true local democracy? This payment is only a small but important part of that because it demonstrates the Government's commitment to recognise the work councillors do, which, as somebody said, is done 24 hours a day for 365 days a year.