Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Amendments Nos. 86 and 87, which relate to local community safety partnerships, have been grouped together for discussion in the names of Senators Boyhan and Keogan and are supported by Senator Craughwell. These amendments seek to create a role for the mayor as chair of his or her local safety partnership through inserting an additional section in the Bill in amendment No. 86, and by amending the Policing, Community and Safety Act 2024 to that effect in amendment No. 87.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 sets out the statutory framework to bring together, oversee and drive the delivery of a new whole-of-government community safety approach, including the establishment of local community safety partnerships. This new structure will bring service providers and the community together at local authority level, replacing the existing joint policing committees, to serve as a forum for discussion and decisions on local matters. Membership will include local representatives, service providers and a range of community representatives who will work collaboratively. This will feed through other structures into a national strategy to guide the work of other bodies, including existing local community development committees.

In relation to the appointment of the mayor as chair of the safety partnership, this is a matter that may be subject to secondary legislation by the Minister for Justice, who has already outlined that there will be follow-on regulations to the Act. During the course of the Seanad debates, the Minister for Justice introduced an amendment to specify that provision may not be made to preclude the election of members of local authorities as chairperson or vice chairperson under section 114. In the normal way, the mayor will have the opportunity to put himself or herself forward for the selection process for the role and be elected with all other eligible candidates.

I am on record as being in favour, and I have said it in all debates on this issue, of a role for the mayor in the new local community safety partnerships. However, this falls into the domain of the Minister for Justice. It does not fall within this legislation, but it is something on which I have held discussions with the Minister and the Department and that I am actively pursuing. A body of work has been done whereby nothing precludes a councillor, and the mayor will be an elected member, from being both a member and being put forward for selection as chair of the new local community safety partnership. However, I am on record as saying that I would like to see the mayor taking up that chair's role. It is something I am actively working on, but the legislation we are currently debating is not the vehicle for that. It is a subject on which I am having discussions with both the Minister for Justice and the Department.