Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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653. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if elected Cathaoirlaigh or Mayors of local authorities are permitted to attend management team meetings of their local authority; the criteria used for allowing or not allowing such joint meetings to take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26182/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The functions of Cathaoirlaigh are as provided for under the Local Government Act 2001, as amended. A Cathaoirleach is responsible, inter alia, for the conduct of business and maintenance of order at meetings of the elected council. Major decisions of policy within local authorities rest with the elected members. The elected members, in the exercise of this policy role, operate on a basis akin to that of a board of directors served by a full time chief executive. The elected council also has various powers in relation to the operation of the executive role. These allow for overview and direction of the affairs of the local authority generally, and for directing the chief executive in the performance of the executive role in certain circumstances.

Section 149 of the 2001 Act requires that the functions of the chief executive shall be performed in accordance with the policy of the local authority as determined by the elected members and that the chief executive in performing his/her functions shall have regard to the views of elected members expressed at meetings of the council (at plenary, municipal district or committee level) or in written input from elected members concerning policy development. The chief executive, when requested, must also report on actions undertaken, or planned to be undertaken, in exercise of executive functions.

In each local authority, both the elected members and the executive have the common interest of serving the community but their responsibilities are necessarily distinct within the relevant legislative framework. The detailed working arrangements to be utilised within this framework in order to secure the effective and efficient provision of services for the community are a matter for determination at local level.