Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 October 2022
279. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish a code of practice for employers to encourage and facilitate workers to participate in local government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48139/22]
View answerThe Independent Review of the Role and Remuneration of Local Authority Elected Members, overseen by Ms Sara Moorhead SC, examined all aspects of the councillor role in modern society. Her final report recognised that local government structures should be reflective of the society in which we live. The ability to serve as a councillor should be one that is available to all. It should not be exclusively for those with independent means or for those who perform the role in a full-time capacity.
Ms. Moorhead's review expressed concern that placing a statutory obligation on employers to provide extra leave to employees who are councillors would place an extra burden on businesses and make councillors less attractive as employees. She considered that requiring employers to give employees who are councillors additional leave would therefore not be feasible.
I welcome the fact that some public bodies already have in place policies and procedures to facilitate employees who are serving councillors. It is questionable, however, whether such policies could be extended to the private sector by way of a code of practice as the Local Government Act 2001 does not provide any statutory basis for this.
Improved financial supports for councillors recommended by the Moorhead Report have already been given effect and this will help to better support councillors who may, for example, have to take occasional short unpaid absences from employment. A range of enhanced non-pay supports are also being developed by my Department in consultation with key stakeholders, including administrative supports, improved training, flexible meeting times, improved use of technological solutions, etc.
It is also worth noting that members of the public can also be actively involved in local government through the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) system, where membership is drawn not only from councillors but also from various sectors relevant to the work of the committees. Other structures, such as Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) and Public Participation Networks (PPNs) also allow members of the public to participate through formal structures.
