Vol. 501 No. 4
46 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the proposals the Government has to put local government and the councillor centre stage at local level; the proposals, if any, he has to enhance the decision making role of councillors in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6169/99]
The programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, commits the Government to the restoration of real decision making and power to local authorities and local people. In this context, a significant range of initiatives which both directly and indirectly enhance the role of the local elected members, have been progressed, including: Strategic Policy Committees, including representatives of local sectoral interests have been established in city and county councils to enhance the policy making role of councillors and to involve the local community more closely in the work of the authorities; implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Task Force on Integration of Local Government and Local Development Systems will see local government, State agencies operating locally, local development agencies, the social partners and the wider community working together on the basis of real partnership under the local government umbrella on the proposed county/city development boards; the task force is overseeing implementation of the recommendations; the Local Government Fund provides a secure and buoyant funding source, with additional resources for local authorities; there will be a gratuity for eligible councillors retiring before the next local elections which will encourage participation by younger candidates and women candidates as well as giving recognition for service to the community; the boundaries of electoral areas for local elections were reviewed by independent boundary committees, with terms of reference requiring a new focus on service delivery areas, and orders implementing the committees' reports have been made and a modern legislative framework for local government is being drafted, which will strengthen and enhance the role of the elected member.
