Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Dec 2002

Vol. 559 No. 1

Written Answers. - County Development Boards.

Bernard Allen

Question:

412 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the impediments councillors face in applying for jobs with county development boards; and if there are conditions on which positions they can apply for in grading and salary rates. [25460/02]

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

County and development boards have been established in each county and city area to bring about the more integrated delivery of public and local development services at local level. The CDBs, which have recently published their agreed county or city strategies for economic, social and cultural development, are representative of local government, local development bodies, together with the State agencies and the social partners operating locally. Local government is represented on the boards by the local authority's corporate policy group and the county or city manager.

Implementation of the boards' strategies is the responsibility of their member agencies. The CDBs themselves are not executive bodies and do not therefore have a staffing complement of their own. The boards are, however, supported by staff from the community and enterprise section of the local authority.

Restrictions on the employment of councillors by local authorities are contained in section 21 of the Local Government Act, 1955. These restrictions are modified by the Local Elections (Petitions and Disqualifications) Act, 1974 (Section 25) Order, 1974. Under these provisions, a councillor is prohibited from being employed except in the lower level grades by the local authority of which he is a member or by an adjoining local authority.