Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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600. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will restore the Drogheda Borough Council and make it more accountable to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24876/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Policy decisions to replace town authorities with a new model of municipal governance were designed to strengthen local government within counties and to address widely acknowledged and long-standing weaknesses and anomalies in the previous system, including the problems of divided administration between town and county authorities, for example, in relation to matters such as planning, rating and charges. Municipal districts and borough districts, where they arise, now cover the entire territory of counties, reflecting European norms and ending the anomaly of small towns having municipal status and dual representation, while some larger centres and rural areas lacked any sub-county governance. As well as creating a more rational and comprehensive structural arrangement, the new system will, over time, result in more effective and community-focused decision making and implementation with improved accountability and responsiveness to local needs. Moreover, under the new arrangements, there is full integration of local authority resources across each county and elimination of duplication both in administrative and electoral terms.

A further important rationale for the new system is a more appropriate assignment of local authority functions. The performance of different functions by members at county and municipal or borough district levels will result in greater effectiveness than the previous parallel town and county system, which involved a significant element of duplication. The division of functions between county and district has been determined on the basis of what is most relevant to each level. Local matters are to be dealt with at municipal or borough district level, while those of wider strategic application are being decided at county level, without duplication between county and district jurisdictions.

It is important to bear in mind in relation to the new sub-county governance arrangements that we are in the very early stages of reform. Municipal and borough districts only came into operation on 1 June 2014 and 2015 will be the first full year of their operation. Against this background, I have initiated an evaluation process on the operation of the new structures through a broadly based advisory group which my Department has recently reconvened together with a working group for engagement with the Association of Irish Local Government, both of which played an important role in the early stages of the local government reform process. The groups will give particular consideration to how the new governance arrangements are impacting on towns and whether any adjustments are needed in light of experience to date, including civic aspects, such as the status of mayors of borough and municipal districts and the economic and community development of towns.

In parallel with this review, I have recently announced the establishment of statutory committees to review local government boundaries in a number of towns, including Drogheda, where there is a significant overspill of population into another county. The committee examining Drogheda is due to report to me by end November 2015.