Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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140. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding town councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12450/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government sets out Government policy decisions in relation to a range of local government reform measures and the Local Government Reform Act 2014 provides the legislative basis for these measures. Specifically in relation to sub-county municipal governance, the 2014 Reform Act provides that all town councils will be dissolved and that the local authority for the county in which the town council was situated will become the successor authority for all purposes. Following the 2014 local elections, members elected for the local electoral area of Killarney will be members for both Killarney Municipal District and Kerry County Council and will perform functions at the appropriate level and in accordance with the listing of reserved functions set out in Schedule 3 of the 2014 Reform Act. There will be a single operational structure across the county and municipal districts will not have separate local authority or corporate status.

The 2014 Reform Act provides that the power for municipal district members to adopt the title of mayor instead of Cathaoirleach will be confined to the metropolitan districts of Limerick and Waterford and municipal districts containing former boroughs or towns with population of 20,000 or more. There is no provision for any exception to these arrangements.