Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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232. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to facilitate councillors to take six months maternity leave without a sanction for non-attendance by their local authority; his further plans to amend section 18(4)(a) of the Local Government Act 2001 in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38095/18]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Section 18(4)(a) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that a councillor shall be deemed to have resigned from membership of their local authority where he or she is absent from attendance at local authority meetings for a continuous period of 6 consecutive months.

However, sections 18(4)(b) and 18(4)(c) state that this provision does not apply in cases where an absence was due to illness or in good faith for another reason provided this is accepted by the local authority and approved by a resolution of the other elected members before the end of the relevant period. This allows the continuous period of allowable absence to be extended to 12 months and then to 18 months upon the passing of a second resolution.

Furthermore, regulation 5(3) of the Local Government (Representational Payment for Members) Regulations 2001 provides that a councillor will continue to receive the full amount of the Representational Payment while absent from meetings of their local authority for a continuous period of 6 months. On the expiration of that period, payments continue to be made at half the applicable annual rate for the next succeeding 6 months but are not made subsequent to the expiry of that period, for so long as the uninterrupted absence continues.

Notwithstanding the existing position, and acknowledging my Department's commitment under the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020, my Department is examining potential supports to promote the participation of women in the 2019 local elections. Having consulted with key stakeholders in recent months, my Department will in the coming weeks submit a report setting out a range of possible practical measures, including in relation to section 18(4) of the 2001 Act, which could be taken to meet the commitment of the National Strategy for the 2019 local elections and beyond.