Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Nov 1997

Vol. 483 No. 3

Written Answers. - Local Government Reform.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

85 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government whether devolution policy will allow for the practice of real decentralisation where the decision making process will be dispersed to those areas where decisions need to be made, and not continue to be centralised wherever the locations of Government offices. [20243/97]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

The policy of successive Governments has been to relocate parts of Departments to provincial locations. This programme comes within the remit of the Minister for Finance and has been of major benefit to the towns and cities concerned.

I am anxious that, taking all relevant factors into account, the role of the local government system is enhanced to maximum extent. The restoration of real decision making and powers to local authorities and local people is an objective of Government as set out in An Action Programme for the Millennium. This principle will underpin proposals, which I will be bringing forward, for the renewal of local government which will seek to ensure that a range of functions carried out at local level operate in an integrated way under local direction.