I thank Members for proposing this motion. I congratulate those who have been elected to local authorities and I congratulate all members of local authorities. I note the historic nature of the 1999 local elections, the last which can be deferred by Government. Assuming the Bill is enacted, these will have been the last elections which Members of the Oireachtas may contest. In future local government will be truly local.
This is an exciting time of change and renewal for local government, now recognised in the Constitution as a fundamental part of our democratic system. In the recent referendum, the overwhelming support of the electorate was given for constitutional recognition of local government. I acknowledge that support. Major changes are taking place in local government. A comprehensive piece of legislation is being prepared to consolidate and modernise the local government legislative code. This legislation is part of an ongoing process of reform and renewal and will focus on the role of elected members as well as involving the community in local government in a greater way.
These themes run through the report of the Joint Committee on Environment and Local Government on the reform of local government which I discussed with the joint committee some time ago. Among the measures being considered for inclusion are enhanced leadership through the introduction of directly elected cathaoirligh; the rebalancing of the relationship between the executive and the elected council to safeguard the primacy of the elected member, to which Senator Ormonde has referred; greater involvement of elected members in the formulation, development and implementation of policies through the CPG and SPCs; the introduction of an ethical framework for elected members and local authority officials to ensure that the system is open and accountable; measures to develop the constitutionally recognised role of local government in developing the interests of the local community; the establishment of an independent local government commission; the introduction of some payment for elected members on an ongoing basis and consolidation and modernisation of the meetings and procedures provisions for local authorities.
Work on this legislation is well in hand. Four tranches of what is expected to be a five tranche Bill have been drafted and I expect the Bill to be published soon, in keeping with my commitment to publish the legislation in the centenary year of local government. This legislation and renewal programme will provide for a modern and revitalised local government system which will meet the challenges of the next century.
I am delighted with the result of the recent referendum on recognition of local government. This recognition will give local government the support it deserves and will bring our Constitution into line with our continental European neighbours. By fixing the maximum interval between elections the legislation will prevent the deferral of elections, which in the past has served to devalue our system of local government. The extension of the lives of councils has had a negative effect on the image of local government and has reduced the effectiveness of elected members. When councillors are in office for eight or nine years cosy cartels are formed, council officials make their own alliances within the system and elected members are not as efficient as they should be in overseeing the role of the executive. As Senator Ormonde pointed out, public representatives will be more conscious of the needs of the public when they are obliged to go before them for election every five years. Local democracy and the local government system will be strengthened by the new legislation.
The strategic policy committees are a central feature of the programme for local government renewal. The SPCs will see elected members and representatives of local sectoral interests working together to make better local government policy. Policy matters will be at the core of the SPC system. Successful organisations, public or private, plan for their future. Local authorities are no exception. The SPCs will facilitate the early input of elected members into developing policies appropriate to their local authorities. They will do so with the benefit of the knowledge and expertise of the local sectoral interests.
The new county and city councils provide an important opportunity to relaunch the SPCs. The SPCs will benefit from the work of the broadly representative working group which I established earlier this year to examine the SPC guidelines. The group will bring forward proposals for my consideration in time for the establishment and operation of the SPCs by the new councils. Despite industrial relations difficulties, it is my intention that the SPC system will be in place and operated by local authorities within the next few months. As soon as the revised guidelines are published, I will instruct local authorities to establish SPCs and to consult with the necessary interests to insure they are established.
A number of players are involved in development initiatives at local level. State agencies, local development groups and community groups operate currently according to their own plans and perspectives. From January 2000 they will work in a single arena, the county and city development boards, where plans and perspectives will be drawn together. The CDBs, led by local government, will see local development and the social partners as well as State agencies looking at the county and city needs as a whole. They will be working towards an agreed strategy for an economic, social and cultural development of the county or city. The boards will greatly enhance the capacity at local level to absorb and adapt policies to local circumstances. Local government will lead but not control the boards. This is because the entire process is based on partnership, the only way we can assure that the CDBs fulfil their potential.
This is an opportunity for local government to prove itself as real local government. I am confident that local authorities will rise to the challenge. The first task of the county and city development boards will be the development of the strategy or vision for the city or county. All State agencies, local development groups and community groups will be asked to ensure that their strategies are in accordance with the general strategy for the county or city.
The extension of the strategic management initiatives to local authorities is already under way and will gather momentum. On 21 October 1998 the Freedom of Information Act became operable in local authorities. This will increase openness and transparency in their operations and contribute to better quality decision-making. Enhanced financial management systems are being introduced which will increase efficiency in the management of resources. Crucially, there is a strong and growing emphasis on better customer service. Many local authorities are currently engaged in one-stop projects which will enable the provision of decentralised integrated public services through co-operation and co-ordination with other public service providers. My Department is contributing to the funding of these projects. Many other local initiatives are under way and I will continue to ensure that enhanced customer focus is a priority in local government.
The new local authority funding system which came into operation last January will play a pivotal role in promoting accountable and cost-effective local democracy. It will deliver significant additional resources to local authorities. Moneys from the fund will, as far as possible, be made available to local authorities as general grants over which they have complete discretion as to their use. It will be largely a matter for the authorities to decide on how this extra money is to be spent. They will be accountable for their decisions to the local electorate.
Hand-in-hand with the provision of extra resources I am also ensuring that local authorities get the best possible use from these resources by means of a heightened emphasis on value for money. Local authorities will be required to show that they are obtaining value for money spent. The role of local authorities for the future must be to deliver a wide range of services for which they are responsible, to deliver them effectively and efficiently and to strike out in new directions and to re-establish themselves as the central focus at local level in partnership with local communities. The role of local authorities – and this has been adverted to by many Senators – and particularly the role of elected members is not easy. They are elected to lead the community and often must grapple with what, by any standards, are very difficult issues. There is always a balancing of competing interests in deciding what is best and what is in the interests of the common good. Whether those decisions relate to the zoning of land, the provision of waste disposal facilities or the provision of traveller accommodation, they are difficult. Ultimately, they are decisions that must be made if society is to function. They form part of the role entrusted to local government. It is often local public representatives who have to stand up and be counted for the serious decisions taken. I hope that will continue to be a feature of local government.
It is very easy for those who said "no" to everything to be all things to all people at election time. Unfortunately, the electorate elects people like that on a fairly regular basis, although, thankfully, they are not too great in numbers so that the business of local government can continue. It would be a poor day for local government if people who seemed to have nothing but negative agendas were the only ones to be elected to local government.
The need for an education and training programme for elected members is recognised by all involved in local government. This need takes on an increased urgency in the present climate of local government renewal and change. The role of the councillor is manifold, requiring at least a basic knowledge of all aspects of local government and an increasing requirement of expertise in certain areas. Through the SPC system the councillor's role of policy-maker has been enhanced, along with existing roles of service reviewer and citizen's advocate. The pivotal role of the councillor in the local government system is ever expanding and, therefore, requires more support than has been given in the past. In recognition of that, I set up a working group in May this year, which included councillors, to examine the short-term and long-term training and education needs of elected members and to provide guidelines for their provision. The group has just completed its deliberations and will shortly submit its proposals to me. We will immediately put in place a training programme for all the recently elected councillors on the basis of those proposals. We will also be putting in place a longer term training programme, as advocated by LAMA, AMAI and the General Council of County Councils for some time.
The next century will see new and different challenges, some of which we can only guess at now. Local government will face them renewed and revitalised. The ongoing programme of renewal which, I can safely say, has a large measure of support across the political spectrum will equip local government and local councillors to meet these challenges. Members can rest assured that this Government is committed to seeing the programme through and to seeing it underpinned by a modern and comprehensive framework. We can look forward with considerable confidence to the future of our local authorities, including county councils.
Our local government system was born in another age, barely 50 years after the Famine. Since then it has not only survived, but it has prospered despite many challenges including those of limited resources and changing roles. It did so because of the quality of those who served it and serve it today, the elected members and staff of local authorities. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to them. I wish all those elected every success in the next five years.
Senator Ormonde referred to the gratuity scheme in her contribution. Everybody seeking election was made aware that under the regulations they were not eligible for a gratuity. No one sought election under the illusion that they would be entitled to a gratuity. I regret that many long serving councillors did not succeed in being elected.