Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 September 2025
370. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out any review of the way in which local authorities are handling county councillors’ questions (details supplied) for written reply; and if he will establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure consistency and compliance across all councils. [49693/25]
View answer377. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out any review of how local authorities are handling councillors’ questions for written reply; and whether he will establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure consistency and compliance across all councils. [49883/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 370 and 377 together.
Under the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, each local authority has an elected council. The elected council is the policy-making arm of the local authority, who act by what are termed 'reserved functions'. These comprise mainly decisions on important matters of policy and finance.
The day-to-day management of each local authority is vested in a full time Chief Executive to whom 'executive functions' are assigned.
The division between reserved and executive functions is such that, subject to law, the Chief Executive operates within a framework of policy laid down by the elected members. As such it is a matter for the elected members to hold the Chief Executive to account with regard to issues such as timely and substantive responses to representations made by the elected members to the Chief Executive and other local authority staff.
While my Department does not have a role in monitoring local authorities in respect of the provision of responses to queries from members from the elected council, it is understood that some local authorities make provision in their standing orders for responding to written questions from their elected members. The adoption of standing orders is a reserved function of the elected council under schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended.
