Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in order to facilitate smaller parties, if he will consider increasing the number of councillors representing each local authority on regional authorities. [54581/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Action Programme for Effective Local Government: Putting People First, which I published in October 2012 following Government approval, sets out the Government’s decision regarding new arrangements at regional level. Regional structures will be revised and strengthened through the replacement of the present eight regional authorities and two regional assemblies by three new regional assemblies (i.e. Connaught-Ulster, Southern, and Eastern–Midlands) to perform an up-dated range of strategic functions. As indicated in the Action Programme, the Government has decided that, following the 2014 local elections, the membership of each of the new regional assemblies will be composed of two members from each constituent city or county council.