Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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493. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department will give consideration to the introduction of gender quotas for political parties in local elections, in advance of the 2029 local elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64940/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Since 2019, my Department has undertaken a wide variety of initiatives aimed at increasing the numbers of women and candidates from diverse backgrounds participating in local government.

The Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Act 2022 established, for the first time, an entitlement to maternity leave to local authority members, equivalent to the current entitlement for employees under the Maternity Protection Act 1994.

Regulations made in 2023 introduced a maternity administrative support allowance to support councillors on maternity leave, or who are eligible to take maternity leave, to employ a part-time assistant to help them fulfil their role.

My Department has funded gender-specific research, allocated financial supports to facilitate hybrid meetings in council chambers, and funded our partner organisations, like See Her Elected, to deliver capacity building and training for women interested in local government.

My Department has also allocated funding to political parties which provides for schemes such as the appointment of Diversity Officers; recruitment campaigns targeting new members from migrant backgrounds; webinars on political engagement, and, work shadowing programmes for young people interested in engaging in local politics.

Meanwhile, my Department's annual calls for funding to local authorities provide funding for innovative projects, which support inclusivity and diversity across local government structures, and aim to address the imbalances in local politics, in terms of both gender and diversity.

In 2025, we will allocate over €1m in funding towards such gender and diversity initiatives.

As a result of such efforts, a record numbers of female candidates participated in the 2024 local elections, with female candidates making up 26% of all councillors elected.

The Local Democracy Taskforce, which was established in June of this year, will examine the sector with a view to bringing forward further recommendations of reform, including proposals for mechanisms to make the role of councillor more attractive to a greater number of people, in particular women and people from diverse backgrounds.

The Taskforce's recommendations are due to be submitted to me in the first half of 2026, after which it will be considered by Government.