Vol. 446 No. 5
14 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for the Environment when the Government proposes to give effect to its commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government, 1993-1997, to ratify the Council of Europe's European Charter on Local Self-Government, signed by 11 member states on 15 October 1985; and the impediments, if any, there are to immediate ratification of the Charter. [2335/94]
As part of the on-going programme of local government reform, the various implications of the European Charter of Local Self Government are being examined with a view to its signature and ratification as soon as possible. Up to now, the emphasis has been on other aspects of the reform programme — the Dublin reorganisation; the establishment of regional authorities; the proposals for new structures at sub-county level; and a variety of changes in procedural and other matters. The various legal and constitutional aspects of the charter are now being examined, in the light of recent advances in the law applying to local authorities, to establish if any technical difficulties remain in the way of ratification.
