Noel Dempsey
Question:4 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has to ensure that routine meetings of local authorities will be open to the public. [5434/95]
Ceisteanna — Questions Oral Answers. - Local Authority Meetings.
While in practice many local authorities provide for attendance by the public at their meetings, the public should have a legal right to attend these meetings, subject to practical considerations such as the size of the council chamber. There is no such right under the current law which is seriously outdated and in need of modernisation in other respects also. I propose to deal with this matter in the context of comprehensive regulations which will be prepared under Part V of the Local Government Act, 1994, regarding meetings and procedures of local authorities. The aim will be to complete work on these regulations by the end of the year.
I thank the Minister for his reply. It is not satisfactory in this day and age that local authority meetings at which decisions which effect the public are taken are not open to the public and I am glad to hear the Minister is rectifying it.