Local Government Reform

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Questions (331)

Paul Murphy

Question:

331. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the report of the Local Democracy Taskforce, which was presented to him on 4 March 2026, will be published; whether he accepts that withholding the report until an implementation plan is finalised is unreasonable given the public interest in its recommendations; if, in the event of further delays in finalising the implementation plan, he will commit to publishing the report itself within two months of it having been presented to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33591/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Local Democracy Taskforce, a key commitment in the Programme for Government, was established in July 2025 with the purpose of bringing forward a suite of reforms across the Local Government Sector. The Taskforce was to build on the considerable body of work previously undertaken by the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG), CLARE (Congress of Local and Regional Authorities) and the Seanad Reports.

The Local Democracy Taskforce presented its final report to me on 4 March 2026. A key consideration by the Taskforce when considering its Terms of Reference was that the recommendations made would be made in a manner that would allow for the successful implementation of the recommendations.

An Implementation Plan is currently under development that will allow for the implementation of the relevant recommendations by identifying key stakeholders and timelines required for each recommendation. I expect to bring the Final Report, along with an Implementation plan, to Government shortly.