Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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531. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the local government education and mentoring programme currently under way in Fingal County Council will be taken up by all local authorities; if so, if he will provide a timeline of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1034/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It is an important priority of mine and of my Department to support key activities and stakeholders in their endeavours to advance the agenda of encouraging the participation of women in local government and promote wider inclusivity and diversity in local government and local decision-making structures.

In June 2022, my Department issued its fourth annual call for funding to local authorities for the funding of activities at local level that specifically work towards encouraging candidates for the local elections in 2024. While it is appreciated that local authorities do not have a specific role regarding political candidacy for local elections, proposals made by individual local authorities for initiatives that support and encourage the increased participation of women and people of diversity in the 2024 local elections were considered.

Under the 2022 scheme, funding of €3,000 was approved for Fingal County Council for their Local Government Education and Mentoring Programme, which sees the Council partnering with the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, See Her Elected and political parties to develop a two-phase programme geared towards raising the number of female candidates and those of diverse backgrounds contesting seats on Fingal County Council at the 2024 local elections.

While this is a Fingal County Council initiative, learnings from this programme can be examined and good practice shared with other local authorities, as is the case with the range of initiatives receiving funding from my Department to support diversity in those seeking local government office.