Tipperary TD leads charge to restore Town Councils – ‘Local government is the heartbeat of democracy'
Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday, May 27, independent Deputy Seamus Healy sought an update from the Taoiseach on the Programme for Government proposed convening of a local democracy taskforce. 'Local government is the heartbeat of democracy,' said the Clonmel based TD.
'The Fine Gael – Labour Party Government abolished borough councils and town councils in 2014 and replaced them with committees that had no power, no functions and no money.
'I think it is already accepted by almost everybody, including the former leader of the Labour Party, Brendan Howlin, that it was a very bad decision. The programme for Government commits to the establishment of a local democracy task force.
'Will the Taoiseach please outline when this task force will be set up and if he will ensure local community voices are represented on it and ensure the terms of reference will include the re-establishment of town and borough councils,' added Deputy Healy.
Taoiseach Michéal Martin responded, saying there is a commitment in the Programme for Government in relation to municipal authorities in towns over a certain population threshold. 'I had good time for Brendan Howlin, formerly of this House, on many issues, but he led the charge on this matter and subsequently sort of had regrets,' said the Taoiseach.
'From a democracy perspective, I believe local Town Councils and Town Commissioners were important. Very often, they were the first step on the ladder to political participation and representation.
'I happen, therefore, to believe in this, but, obviously, I will talk to the Minister in terms of the timelines for legislation to give effect to the commitments in the programme for Government.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Childcare fees to be reduced to under €200 a week from September
Childcare fees for some parents will be capped at just under €200 a week under new plans unveiled by the Children's Minister. Norma Foley confirmed that this could save parents paying the highest fees €1,500 over the course of a year. She also vowed that the Government will implement €200-a-month childcare fees over the course of this Government's five-year term. A new maximum fee cap will now be introduced for all new services availing of State funding through the Core Funding scheme from this September. Under these new maximum fee caps, the highest possible fees will be no more than €295 per week for a full-day place with 40 to 50 hours per week. This will reduce costs for families who are facing the highest fees across the country in around 10 per cent of early learning and childcare providers. These fees will be reduced further by State subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme and the free, universal two-year Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) preschool programme. A parent being charged the maximum permissible fee of €295 per week for a full day place would be entitled to receive the universal National Childcare Scheme subsidy of €96.30, meaning their own payment would be no more than €198.70 per week. Higher subsidies are available for many parents, depending on their level of income and the age and number of children in early education. Ms Foley said the Government is on an "unfinished journey" to reduce the cost of childcare. The highest cost of childcare fees ranges between €300 and €325 a week, with Minister Foley arguing that the fee freeze will save parents €1,500 per child. The Programme for Government commits to introducing €200 a month childcare. Minister Foley said: "We're absolutely clear that the Programme for Government has a very clear commitment around the €200 and that is our absolute goal. "I've been very clear that we would do that over the lifetime of this government. It will be incremental. "The steps we take today, we're starting at the very top where there's an extraordinarily high cost to parents and we're beginning to bring that down." Compared to this time last year, there has been an increase in 226 providers taking part in the Core Funding model. This is despite providers threatening to pull out of the scheme because it was not meeting their increasing costs or inflation. Ms Foley announced that increased Core Funding of €390 million will be available from September.
Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Almost four out of 10 Irish earners are paying no income tax, says Revenue
While the number of taxpayer units earning enough to be liable for the standard rate will be just over 2.2 million, an estimated 1.06 million of these, or 30pc, will not pay anything because their liability is fully covered by their tax credits. Another 256,600 taxpayer units, or 7pc of the total, are exempt from income tax. The statistics, contained in an answer by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to a Dáil question, means 37pc of earners will pay no income tax this year. In an annual report on the Irish economy, published yesterday, the European Commission emphasised the need to reduce the risks created by the high concentration of tax revenue among a relatively small number of payers. Ireland should broaden its tax base, given the reliance on relatively few foreign-owned multinationals, and there is particular scope for expanding the local property charge, the commission says. 'Ireland's labour-tax system is highly progressive, but it relies on a narrow tax base,' according to the report, which says the top 10pc of taxpayers accounted for approximately 60pc of the tax yield in 2022. This concentration of revenue means the tax base is vulnerable to economic shifts. Ireland's labour-tax revenues are well below the EU average, and 'to cope with high projected budget expenses, diversification in Ireland's public revenue structure is warranted', the report says. Ireland's share of labour taxes as a proportion of GDP is not even half the EU average, and remains below the EU average when adjusted to GNI*, a measure of economic activity that takes out the distorting effect of multinationals. There is also scope to expand the local property charge, since the revenue collected – which was 1.8pc of GNI* in 2022 – is also below the EU average, which was 2.1pc that year. On the spending side, the European Commission calls on Ireland to 'reinforce' defence spending in line with decisions reached by the European Council in March. The report points out that spending on defence in Ireland remained stable at 0.2pc of GDP between 2021 and 2023. According to its forecast, it will remain at this level for both last year and this year. This means there has been no change in four years. As the healthcare system is overly reliant on costly hospital care, exacerbated by the lack of universal primary care coverage, there is scope for reform to alleviate the strain on hospitals The commission says there are still concerns about the impact that spending by the healthcare system is having on fiscal sustainability. The ageing of the population is going to mean an increase in health spending of 1.5pc of GDP by 2070, while across the EU the average increase is projected to be 0.4pc. 'As the healthcare system is overly reliant on costly hospital care, exacerbated by the lack of universal primary care coverage, there is scope for reform to alleviate the strain on hospitals,' the report says. Given the heightened political uncertainty, Ireland's dependence on foreign multinationals needs to be looked at, and the European Commission warns there is an 'urgent need' to build a more resilient, innovation-driven domestic economy. It points out that spending on research and development (R&D) in Ireland is at one of the lowest rates in the EU, accounting for just 0.4pc of GNI*. This has led to a noticeable technology innovation gap between Irish SMEs and their counterparts in comparable European countries. 'Boosting R&D expenditure and providing targeted Research and Innovation (R&I) support could help boost SME productivity,' it says.
Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Almost 40pc of Irish earners are paying no income tax, says Revenue
While the number of taxpayer units earning enough to be liable for the standard rate will be just over 2.2 million, an estimated 1.06 million of these, or 30pc, will not pay anything because their liability is fully covered by their tax credits. Another 256,600 taxpayer units, or 7pc of the total, are exempt from income tax. The statistics, contained in an answer by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to a Dáil question, means 37pc of earners will pay no income tax this year. In an annual report on the Irish economy, published yesterday, the European Commission emphasised the need to reduce the risks created by the high concentration of tax revenue among a relatively small number of payers. Ireland should broaden its tax base, given the reliance on relatively few foreign-owned multinationals, and there is particular scope for expanding the local property charge, the commission says. 'Ireland's labour-tax system is highly progressive, but it relies on a narrow tax base,' according to the report, which says the top 10pc of taxpayers accounted for approximately 60pc of the tax yield in 2022. This concentration of revenue means the tax base is vulnerable to economic shifts. Ireland's labour-tax revenues are well below the EU average, and 'to cope with high projected budget expenses, diversification in Ireland's public revenue structure is warranted', the report says. Ireland's share of labour taxes as a proportion of GDP is not even half the EU average, and remains below the EU average when adjusted to GNI*, a measure of economic activity that takes out the distorting effect of multinationals. There is also scope to expand the local property charge, since the revenue collected – which was 1.8pc of GNI* in 2022 – is also below the EU average, which was 2.1pc that year. On the spending side, the European Commission calls on Ireland to 'reinforce' defence spending in line with decisions reached by the European Council in March. The report points out that spending on defence in Ireland remained stable at 0.2pc of GDP between 2021 and 2023. According to its forecast, it will remain at this level for both last year and this year. This means there has been no change in four years. ADVERTISEMENT As the healthcare system is overly reliant on costly hospital care, exacerbated by the lack of universal primary care coverage, there is scope for reform to alleviate the strain on hospitals The commission says there are still concerns about the impact that spending by the healthcare system is having on fiscal sustainability. The ageing of the population is going to mean an increase in health spending of 1.5pc of GDP by 2070, while across the EU the average increase is projected to be 0.4pc. 'As the healthcare system is overly reliant on costly hospital care, exacerbated by the lack of universal primary care coverage, there is scope for reform to alleviate the strain on hospitals,' the report says. Given the heightened political uncertainty, Ireland's dependence on foreign multinationals needs to be looked at, and the European Commission warns there is an 'urgent need' to build a more resilient, innovation-driven domestic economy. It points out that spending on research and development (R&D) in Ireland is at one of the lowest rates in the EU, accounting for just 0.4pc of GNI*. This has led to a noticeable technology innovation gap between Irish SMEs and their counterparts in comparable European countries. 'Boosting R&D expenditure and providing targeted Research and Innovation (R&I) support could help boost SME productivity,' it says.
