Vol. 403 No. 2
13 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for the Environment whether the expert group appointed by him to report to a group of Ministers on reform of local government has completed its work; whether the proposals of the group have been submitted; the content of these proposals; and when they will be published.
28 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment the progress made to date with regard to the Government plans to reform local government; if the report of either the Cabinet sub-committee or the group of experts has yet been received; if not, when they are expected; if the reports will be published; when he will set a date for the local Government elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
49 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for the Environment when he expects the committee on the reorganisation of local government to complete their reports and submit them to Government; when he intends to publish the reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take priority quesmitte tions Nos. 13, 28 and 49 together.
The advisory expert committee on local government reorganisation and reform are due to submit their recommendations to the Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by me before the end of the year. It is not possible to anticipate at this stage what proposals will emerge from this process. It is not proposed to publish a report; instead legislation to give effect to the reorganisation programme will be prepared and published as soon as possible.
Under existing law, local elections are due to be held in June 1991. The question of fixing a polling day will be considered in due course.
Will the Minister advise the House as to the reason this committee's proposals to the Ministerial subcommittee have been delayed, in the light of the promise previously made by the Minister to this House when postponing the local government elections that the sub-committee would be making a report to the Ministerial committee at the beginning of September, and in the light of the fact that the Minister then told the House that the Ministerial committee would be making a report to the Government at the end of September?
The committee were asked to report by the end of September of this year but during the month of September they asked for an extension of the time because of the complexity of the matters under consideration, because of the summer holiday period, because they decided to invite submissions from interested individuals and organisations, and because quite a lot of people responded. An extension of time was agreed to. I understand from them now that they will be able to meet the deadline at the end of this year.
Will the Minister now accept that if he intended to proceed in this way such a committee should have been put together by him and asked to operate and report some three years ago? Will the Minister agree that there is no prospect of any comprehensive legislation being published and passed through this House before June 1991? Will the Minister indicate if it is his intention that local elections will take place in June 1991, even if it proves not possible to enact such legislation prior to that date, and will the Minister agree that the many organisations that made submissions to this committee will be very interested in seeing the contents of the report that the committee make? Would the Minister not agree that it is in the public interest that that report be published so that there can be an informed public debate on Government policy, or the need for local government reform and the the type of structures that are required to take Ireland through the nineties into the year 2000?
The advisory expert committee, as the name suggests, was appointed to give advice to the Cabinet sub-committee which I chair. It is not proposed to publish that advice or the recommendations of the expert committee and it would not be normal practice to do that. We are committed to local government reform. As soon as we see what the expert committee put before us we hope to deal with it and get on with the job. We are committed to reform and I see no reason we cannot meet our deadline in this regard.
Would the Minister not agree that to keep a report of this nature a secret, a report which does not involve any matter relating to national security, is totally at variance with the new directive on the environment relating to the freedom of information, for which the Minister patted himself on the back on getting accepted by the European Communities during the Irish Presidency? Would the Minister agree that it is in the public interest that a report produced by an expert group such as this should be made available not only to all Members of this House, but publicly so that there can be informed public debate and assessment of the validity of the proposals that the Government bring forward to reform local government?
We are having repetition.
I do not accept that. I see this advisory committee which was set up to do a certain job in the same way as I see any other committee which has been set up to advise a Minister on various options and recommendations. It is a matter for the Government sub-committee to deal with and go back to Government so that final decisions can be taken. It is the normal practice.
Question No. 14, please.
It is outrageous to suppress that report.
