Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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71. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the local democracy task force will be convened; if he intends to review the number and distribution of councillors across local authorities; if there will be a review of the boundaries used for local authority elections in advance of the next local elections; his timeline for the establishment of town councils; if there will be separate elections for those councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12703/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a ‘Local Democracy Taskforce’ with the Local Government sector to finalise a programme for the reform and strengthening of local government.

There has already been a substantial body of work undertaken to examine the powers, functions and responsibilities of Local Government in the following reports:

- Monitoring of the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Ireland, Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, October 2023

- The 21^st Century Councillor in Irish Local Government by Association of Irish Local Government, December 2023

- Seanad Public Consultation Committee Report on the Future of Local Democracy, October 2024

- Building Stronger Local Government Report by Association of Irish Local Government, November 2024

It is expected that the Taskforce will examine the four reports and make recommendations, including for any legislative amendments, based on them, with a key focus on suitability for implementation. The proposals agreed by Government on foot of recommendations from the Taskforce will constitute the next generation of local government reform and will have long-term impacts on our local government sector.

The Terms of Reference for the Taskforce are currently under development in my Department and these will have due regard to the commitments in the Programme for Government and the four reports which informed those commitments. My Department received input from the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) on those Terms of Reference, and, following further consideration and input from key stakeholders, they will be brought to Government for approval. The first meeting of the Taskforce will take place as soon as possible thereafter.

The Programme for Government states that this Taskforce will bring forward proposals which the Government will consider in respect of the proportion of local authority members to population.

Section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) empowers the Minister to divide a local authority area into local electoral areas and to amend those areas. However, in advance of deciding to make an order under section 23 of the 2001 Act, the Minister must, in accordance with section 32(2) of the Local Government Act 1991 (as amended), request An Coimisiún Toghcháin to prepare a report having regard to such matters as may be specified by the Minister. The current configuration of local electoral areas has applied since the 2019 local elections and followed a review of local electoral area boundaries conducted in two parts, published in 2017 and 2018 respectively. I will consider the need for future boundary reviews in advance of the 2029 local elections.

The Programme for Government recognises the need to strengthen the framework and powers of municipal districts and area committees. It also commits to the establishment of town councils in large towns, on a regional phased basis, to provide a focal-point for raising concerns of towns and coordinating town-focused activities. Proposals in this regard will be considered in due course.