Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, for coming to the House this morning. My Commencement matter in the Seanad is to seek an update from the Minister of State with responsibility for local government on the local democracy task force. I commend the Minister on having established it very promptly after the Government was formed to build on the work that had been done by the previous Government to strengthen the role of local councillors. The Minister of State is very aware of what is involved, as he is a former councillor himself, as are the Acting Chair, Senator Noonan, and I. We have all served proudly on local authorities. The local authorities and local councillors are the closest contact point for most citizens with democracy and with the Government.

The local democracy task force was established to ensure that our local democracy was strengthened, that it was transparent, that there was accountability and, most importantly, that our local authority members were equipped to serve their local democracies. My call in my Commencement matter this morning is for an update from the Minister of State on the local democracy task force report, which the Minister received in March. He got a final report. I commend the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, the Local Authorities Members Association, LAMA, and all the local authority members who engaged in the preparation of that report. It was a very significant and valuable piece of work that they undertook. I appreciate that the Minister has only had the report since March. My tabling of this early Commencement matter is an indication of the keen interest and anticipation that exists among councillors for the response of the Government to it. This is really important.

I think of councillors right around the country who, at the instruction of the Minister, are conducting reviews of their county development plans. We all know this. When you conduct a review of a county development plan, it is a very significant undertaking. It is an incredibly important statutory document that will guide the planning process and the planning decisions that will be made in an area over a long period of time. However, our councillors are not individually resourced to engage in that process. They need to be resourced. They need to be supported so that they can deliver the best outcomes for their communities. There are other issues around the gratuity payment that need to be addressed and, obviously, the local boundary reviews are coming down the road as well. We will very quickly be back into another electoral cycle.

I cannot over-emphasise the need for urgency and a constructive response from the Government. Our democracy matters. We live in a world where democracy is challenged. Freedom, independence and democracy cannot be taken for granted. Local authority members are the champions of local democracy. They deserve not only to be protected but to be resourced, supported and championed. I believe the Minister will do that. I hope the Minister of State can provide an update on how the Minister is going to respond to the local democracy task force report.