Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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81. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding titles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38066/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The decision to replace town authorities with a new model of municipal governance under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 was designed primarily to strengthen local government within counties and to address widely acknowledged and long-standing weaknesses and anomalies in the previous system, including divided administration between town and county authorities, for example, in relation to matters such as planning, rating and charges.

Municipal districts now cover the entire territory of each county, reflecting European norms, removing outdated boundaries and ending the anomaly of small towns having municipal status and dual representation, while some larger centres and rural areas lacked any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 enables more effective and community-focused decision making and implementation. 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.

More effective democratic representation and local decision making is provided by the new system in which a wide range of local functions are devolved to the elected members at district level with more strategic matters decided by the plenary county. Unlike the uneven patchwork of separate town councils with outdated boundaries which it replaced, this is a comprehensive sub-county system, with membership in common between district and county levels, rational allocation of functions between levels, and a single administrative and operational structure.

The law relating to alternative titles to Cathaoirleach within the local government system is set out in section 32 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended by section 37 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014). There are no proposals for amending legislation to provide for use of the title “Mayor” on the general basis referred to in the Question.