Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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405. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details in tabular form by local authority area and year of the number of meetings which have been held between local authority management and Oireachtas members in accordance with provisions which were made in legislation following the abolition of the dual mandate where Oireachtas members could no longer be members of local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54060/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government Act 2001 (Section 237A) Regulations 2003, provide, inter alia, for the supply of specified documentation to Oireachtas members by the local authority such as the local authority budget, draft development plan, etc. It is a matter for each local authority to deal with requests for access to information by a parliamentary representative as expeditiously as possible and in accordance with a proper level of customer service. In this regard, local authorities are required to put in place arrangements to ensure that systems, procedures and time frames equivalent to those used by them in relation to correspondence from local authority members also apply in respect of parliamentary representatives. Managers are required to meet at least annually with local Oireachtas members and thus provide an opportunity for an update on developments and for any difficulties encountered to be raised and addressed. My Department gathered information from local authorities on a periodic basis, on the practical application of the arrangements established by the above Regulations. Based on the information received up to 2010, I understand that most local authorities were compliant with these arrangements. However, my Department no longer collates the information requested by the Deputy.