Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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760. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether legislation will be progressed to transfer the powers of local authority chief executives to the elected council Mayors, Lord Mayors and Cathaoirligh so that council decision-making reflects local views as expressed in local elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23987/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government recognises that local government is the beating heart of our democracy. A significant priority is the establishment of a Local Democracy Taskforce, with the Local Government sector, to finalise a programme for the reform and strengthening of local government which is ongoing.

The Programme for Government commits the Taskforce to examining the principle of subsidiarity and generally addressing ways in which power might be rebalanced between elected councillors and executive officers to ensure that elected officials have a right to be consulted on a range of decisions in a timely manner.

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. Following further consideration and input from key stakeholders, the Taskforce’s Terms of Reference will be brought to Government for approval, and the Taskforce will be established shortly thereafter.