Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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427. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to his proposed break-up of the local development companies under the realignment programme, if any consultations took place with the development companies themselves, with the Directors or with the community based voluntary organisations throughout the country who have benefited enormously from their administration of the EU programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22203/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans to break up local development companies under the alignment process. The reforms set out in Putting People First -Action Programme for Effective Local Government are designed to secure greater collaboration across the breath of publicly-funded local development activity. This includes increased co-operation between local government and local development companies, in the interests of better targeting of resources, more sustainable administrative costs and more effective services.

In their report, the recommendations of which are incorporated in the Action Programme, the Alignment Steering Group recognised the key strengths of local development companies, in areas such as service planning and delivery. A continued role for local development companies and other local entities is envisaged in the implementation of the various programmes. In terms of consultations, the Local Government/Local Development Alignment Steering Group met with and considered submissions from many local development companies and from other stakeholder groups. Since then, both I and my Department have met with a number of delegations on behalf of local development companies. This has included both chief executive officers and directors of these companies. My Department engages with representatives of the community and voluntary sector on an on-going basis. The Irish Local Development Network is also a key participant in an Alignment Working Group that is assisting and advising on the implementation of the recommendations of the Alignment Steering Group. I met this group on two occasions in recent months.