Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, to the House. On behalf of the House, I offer our condolences yet again to him on the loss of his sister. We know it is a difficult time for him and his family. Our thoughts are with him.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I wish to also be associated with the condolences on the very sad passing of the Minister of State's sister. I hope he is well and it is good to see him back. We are all thinking of him.

As the Minister of State is aware, a number of years ago there were new security allowances put in place for public representatives. This was in light of the change in society, the change in the workload for councillors and Oireachtas Members and essentially to make sure people could go about their day and do their job without fear of anything happening. We have seen instances in the UK but we have seen minor incidents in Ireland. As a Government and as politicians, we have an obligation to try to encourage people to get into public life. It is important to do that and part of that is making sure they are safe to be able to do their job.

Measures were put in place a number of years ago and they have not been ideal. One of the main reasons for it was that a councillor could pay for security for their home or for their office if they had one, but it was just a 50% rebate and there was a €5,000 limit. Take-up has not been as much as we would like it to have been, and similarly that was the case with Oireachtas Members. Before Christmas, there were changes made for Oireachtas Members, with the allowance being increased and, importantly, a 100% rebate on it.

Since this new Government has taken office, the Minister for State at the Department of local government, Deputy John Cummins, has been in this Chamber speaking on it and knows it is a priority. He has worked on it along with the Minister, Deputy James Browne. They have put a proposal together. Senator Kyne and I met LAMA to discuss a range of issues, including pensions. This was one of the main issues up for discussion in terms of security for the 949 councillors across the country. In fairness to the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and the Minister, Deputy Browne, they have acted very quickly. A proposal has been put forward and now just needs to be sanctioned by the Department of public expenditure. I call on the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, to do this as quickly as possible. I know a number of councillors across the country, at the moment, who are looking to do work on their home or office or something in terms of security and protection. They are waiting because they want to see what the new scheme will be, whether it will be a higher amount and a 100% rebate and if it will be backdated to the start of the council term. These are all concerns that LAMA raised with Senator Kyne and me.

I raise this issue on behalf of all 17 Fine Gael Senators. It needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We cannot have public representatives across the country waiting to do things that are a necessity simply because they do not know when the scheme will be signed off on. I would really appreciate getting some clarity on this today. In fairness, the Department of housing has acted very quickly on this and it just needs the Department of public expenditure to sign off on it. I do not see any reason it should not when it is about security and people's safety while carrying out their work. This needs to be signed off on. LAMA wrote to the Minister, Deputy Chambers, outlining the need for this to be finalised as quickly as possible. On behalf of LAMA and my fellow Fine Gael Senators, I ask that this be done as quickly as possible.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senators Boyhan and Ahearn for their kind words of condolence on the death of my sister. They are very much appreciated.

In fairness to Senator Ahearn, he has always been an advocate for councillors' needs across Ireland. We know how challenging it is being a councillor. Many councillors are now full time because of the seriousness of the work and the amount of work they have to do. Therefore, making allowances for security measures can be quite challenging in terms of the existing supports. Clearly there is a recognition that the scheme that was introduced is not enough. That is clear from the take-up of the scheme, which I will outline shortly. I understand the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and the Minister, Deputy Chambers, recognise that. We will get movement on this as soon as possible.

Local government plays an important role in the life of the nation. It is responsible for the delivery of a wide range of services. Elected councils provide a vital forum for the democratic representation of local communities. All elected representatives should be free to carry out their functions and representational role without fear of harassment or intimidation. Heightened adversarial attitudes to elected representatives are corrosive to democratic participation. They risk deterring potential new candidates and inducing existing representatives to withdraw from political life. The Senator touched on this when he mentioned encouraging new people in to politics. It is in this context that a security allowance for councillors was introduced in September 2023. Under the current scheme, elected members can claim a maximum of €2,500 or 50%, whichever is the lesser, of the cost of home-security measures that have been recommended in a report made by their local crime prevention officer.

In light of a recommendation in the report of the task force on safe participation in political life to review the security allowance for councillors, my Department surveyed the 31 local authorities to ascertain the uptake of the allowance by councillors, and to identify any obstacles to this. The findings are pretty stark, as the Senator alluded to. It showed that only 23 of the 949 councillors availed of the allowance in 2024. Challenges reported by local authorities in relation to the uptake and administration of the scheme included the requirement of councillors to meet half the costs of the works as well as, in some areas, delays in obtaining a report by a crime prevention officer. Engagement with the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, and LAMA on this issue indicated that the biggest obstacles to the scheme’s uptake is the requirement of councillors to contribute 50% of the cost of the expenditure. They also indicated that the €2,500 maximum was insufficient to meet the needs of all councillors.

On foot of this review, my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, recently approved a business case for a revised allowance that reflects the feedback received. This was submitted by my Department to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, whose approval is required for any revision to the scheme. Any revision to the allowance would also need to be introduced by the making of ministerial regulations under section 142 of the Local Government Act 2001, countersigned by the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. I understand that the business case is being considered by that Department and that there will be further engagement with my Department on this proposal shortly.

There is an urgency around this. The Senator will see in the response that there is also a small legislative requirement. I do not think that will be too burdensome or will slow the process too much. The Senator's point is well made. We need to encourage more people in to politics. There is, anecdotally at least, an increase in harassment incidents and safety concerns for councillors and local representatives. The Senator has always been an advocate on this issue. I will work with the relevant Ministers to make sure we get this measure introduced as soon as possible.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. He is right that 23 councillors out of 949 applying for the scheme means that there is something wrong with it. This has been recognised by the Department of housing and it has acted quickly. The Minister of State noted that the business case is being considered by the Department of public expenditure. I acknowledge the importance of this. However, councillors would say that there was a business case put forward for Oireachtas Members before Christmas. That was reviewed and decided upon within 48 hours. If the Department of public expenditure can make the decision for Oireachtas Members in this building in 48 hours, we can certainly do it quicker than four weeks. The business case has been with the Department for the past four weeks. What we do not want is for it to go into or past the summer without a decision being made. I know the Minister recognises the urgency of it. The Government is aware of the importance of security. We cannot have a situation where we are able to sort out things for TDs and Senators in 48 hours but not for councillors.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I get the need for urgency. The fact that the Senator has raised the matter will further emphasise the urgency. I have been assured that in recent days officials from both Departments have been in touch on progressing this matter. Yes, it can and should be done quickly, and it is very important that it is. I stress that the option to avail of €2,500 is still open to councillors. If they do so, it does not preclude them from availing of further funds if the grant amount is increased under the new proposals. I cannot go into details on the proposal and what is being discussed, for obvious reasons, but we want to see something that is enhanced and that removes the obstacles that are evidenced by such a low uptake. We will come back as soon as we have any indication that progress has been made in this regard.