Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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323. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if an elected Member of the Oireachtas (Teachta Dála or Seanadóir) can make representations on behalf of a member of the public to a local authority, regardless of whether they were elected in that council area or not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52874/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Section 237A of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) provides that the Minister shall make regulations in relation to the ‘dealings’ of local authorities with members of the Houses of the Oireachtas which must include provisions in relation to correspondence with members of the Oireachtas by local authorities. These Regulations are contained in S.I. 274 of 2003 (www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/si/274/made/en/print) and were subsequently amended by S.I. 257 of 2024 to insert references to the Mayor of Limerick.

Article 9 (1) provides “It shall be an objective of a local authority to seek to deal with requests for access to information by a parliamentary representative as expeditiously as may be and in accordance with a proper level of customer service”. Parliamentary Representative is defined as, "a member of Dáil Éireann or of Seanad Éireann", with no specific reference to location.

Article 13 (1) provides that “nothing in these regulations shall be read as implying that a lesser level of customer service is to apply as regards the dealings of a local authority with its members or any other person”.