Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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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.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Fitzpatrick so much for raising this vital issue. In fairness to her, I know the whole concept of the task force and reviewing local government and how local authorities work was something that she called for in the last Seanad. She is following through now and is looking for an update. I completely understand. I fully agree with the strengthening of local government that she called for here today. We need more resources for councillors. As she said, she and I both know that councillors often rely on information that the executives would have full access to, and they are scrambling to get information. Those resources need to be increased.There has to be an acknowledgement, as the Senator said, of the dedicated work that local authority members do and the time and effort they put in. I agree with her that this is not reflected in their current conditions. I hope that it makes up part of the recommendations that have been provided by the task force. There is also the basic principle of strengthening the role of local authority members. It is vital and it is fair to say that it has been eroded over time. We need to get back to a place where it is put front and centre. I appreciate the Senator raising this and as she correctly pointed out, the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and the Minister, Deputy Browne, now have that report. I am not privy to the recommendations, so I cannot go through what is within them in detail. However, they are assessing them at the moment and reading them in detail for publication very shortly, so this is a timely Commencement matter on the Senator's behalf. I am going to go through the process in the two and half minutes I have left in terms of how this came about and where it is at the moment.

The local democracy task force was established in June 2025 as a key commitment in the programme for Government. The terms of reference for the task force set out an ambitious and detailed work programme. In addition to the public consultation committee report from this House, the work of the task force was also built on a substantial body of work that had already been undertaken by the Association of Irish Local Government and the Council of Europe on the powers, functions and responsibilities of local government, which the Senator alluded to.

The task force was given an ambitious timeline of submitting its report within six to nine months, and the work that went before it meant that this short timeframe was achievable. The task force was chaired by Jim Breslin, a former senior public servant, and membership was made up of local authority elected member representative bodies, local authority executive representatives, officials from the National Oversight and Audit Commission, the Local Government Audit Service, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and a number of independent experts.

The task force delivered its report by dividing the terms of reference into four specific themes. These themes were the structures, funding, functions, and governance and accountability provisions within the local authority sector. As subject matter experts working within the sector, the pillar groups provided in-depth evidence-based information and advice to the task force to guide the preparation of all recommendations. In total, the task force, along with the pillar groups, had combined membership in excess of 50 people which saw the task force meet on nine occasions and the pillar groups meet in excess of 40 occasions.

A wide stakeholder engagement was central to the task force’s work and included key organisations and bodies, employer and employee representatives, community and voluntary groups and experts at the discretion of the task force. The task force invited submissions from a broad range of stakeholders, including political parties, and I understand it had very high levels of engagement, including an engagement with Senator Fitzpatrick herself. That engagement offers great confidence that the task force recommendations are representative of the sector, together with civil society that relies so heavily upon local authorities on a day-to-day basis.

The task force submitted its final report to the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, in early March 2026, and these are currently under consideration. It is expected that the recommendations within the report, together with an implementation plan, will be brought to Government shortly. It is their intention to maintain the momentum that the report has generated by driving any legislative change that is required on foot of recommendations.

I hope that gives the Senator some confidence. The term "shortly” is obviously not a prescribed time, but I am quite confident that we will see the results and the recommendations very shortly. As said in that statement, we will keep the momentum up. Any legislative changes that are required will build on the momentum from the task force.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Minister of State's statement. The work was completed in an incredibly efficient and professional way but also in a very engaging way. The task force report is not just representative of the local authorities, their members and their executives, but also of civil society. That is incredibly valuable and the Minister will value it. I just urge the Minister of State to go back to the Department and Minister and really encourage them to take action swiftly, to respond promptly to the task force's report and not to allow it gather dust because time is precious. It is moving on and we are living in a very changing world.

Every time there is a crisis in this country, the local authorities respond. They are the first to respond if there is a flood or any sort of event, so they deserve an urgent response from Government when they provide recommendations. They are approaching this in an incredibly constructive way. Their recommendations are strong and will be valuable. They will also not just serve the local authorities but our broader democracy as well.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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These will be published shortly. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to ensure that "shortly" means very shortly and immediately, and that the recommendations are followed through on. I know that the Senator is working on that already because I know she has met the Minister, Deputy Browne, and will meet him again to ensure those recommendations reflect the work that she has done and that they are followed through on and legislated for, if necessary. I sincerely thank everybody who fed into the work of the task force and everybody who compiled the recommendations. I outlined the number of meetings that were held. This was taken seriously with genuine and important feedback coming from members and civil servants from right across the board. Hopefully there are exciting times ahead and we will see reserved functions and proper authority given back to local authority members, and that we curb the erosion of power that has taken place in terms of local government.