Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 December 2004
163 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the arrangements in place to enable Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas to obtain reports and responses from local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32612/04]
View answerFrom the commencement of the single mandate for elective local government, local authorities were required to make specific arrangements to provide a reasonable level of service for Oireachtas Members and to facilitate them in carrying out their work on behalf of local communities. Statutory regulations have been made in this connection. Copies of these regulations — the Local Government Act 2001 (Section 237A) Regulations 2003 — and an information note are available in the Oireachtas Library.
The regulations provide, inter alia, for the supply of specified documentation to Oireachtas Members by the local authority and, in this context, a parliamentary representative may notify a local authority of his or her postal or electronic address. In addition, equivalent systems, procedures and time frames to those used for correspondence from local authority members apply also in respect of Oireachtas Members. Similarly, where there are arrangements for electronic access to information by councillors, these should likewise be made available to Oireachtas Members.
Managers are required to meet at least annually with local Oireachtas Members and thus provide an opportunity for an update on developments and for any difficulties encountered to be raised and addressed. This is, of course, additional to normal and regular contacts between public representatives and local authority officials regarding particular problems or issues.
As these arrangements have been introduced relatively recently, I intend that they will be kept under review with a view to any necessary amendment of current guidance on these matters. In the meantime, I expect authorities to facilitate parliamentary representatives, in the spirit and the letter of the regulations, in the timely provision of local authority documentation.
