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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Sep 2003

Vol. 571 No. 1

Written Answers. - Local Government Elections.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

1269 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if many persons have given up their seats in county councils as a result of the Local Government (No. 2) Act 2003; the counties in which this has happened; the persons who have replaced them; and if the replacements have been family members of the people who gave up their seats. [20072/03]

Today is the final day by which persons who are elected members of local authorities and also Members of the Oireachtas may resign their local authority seats and avail of the additional gratuity of €5,000, together with early payment of the normal gratuity which would be available to all councillors next June. I hope to be in a position shortly to provide information on the number of councillors who have availed of these arrangements.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

1270 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the amount it will cost if all dual mandate persons retire from the county councils before October 2003; and the amount it will cost for the persons to replace them until June 2004. [20073/03]

Councillors who are Members of the Oireachtas and who retire within the period 4 May to 30 September 2003 will receive an additional gratuity of €5,000 in recognition of their departure from local government, together with early payment of the normal retirement gratuity which would have been available to them had they served up to next June. The cost of the former gratuity is about €0.6 million and of the latter about €1 million if all councillors who were also Members of the Oireachtas were to retire within the period mentioned. Assuming they are replaced by new councillors, a further amount of up to €1.6 million in a full year could arise in respect of representational payments to these new councillors. However, the actual costs involved are likely to be somewhat less as they are dependent on the number of Oireachtas councillors who choose to resign before the next local elections, the dates of resignation chosen by such individuals and the requirement for a minimum period of three years qualifying service for a gratuity.

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