COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, October 08, 2012
QUESTION NO.2
QUESTION: Councillor P. Cosgrave
To ask the Manager to give a report on the rules of mobiles phones to Councillors to include Ministers Roches Bill or law country wide for Councillor, and could the Manager give a layman’s report on the workings of the Bill.
REPLY:
Subject to certain conditions S 142 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides for the payment by a local authority of expenses / allowances / remuneration etc for expenses incurred by its members in connection with their representational role.
In December 2006 details of revised arrangements for allowances for expenses incurred by Elected Members were circulated to Local Authorities. Ministerial Regulations (SI No 668 of 2006) and directions were made which provided for, inter alia, rates and rules regarding the payment of Mobile Phone Allowances. The payment of mobile phone allowances was a new initiative and was not applicable prior to the making of the 2006 regulations.
All provisions of the 2006 Regulations became effective from 1st January 2007
Part 111 of the 2006 Regulations refer specifically to the payment of Mobile Phone allowances. Various rates of mobile phone allowances were introduced for various “groupings / bands” of Local Authorities. These groupings were set out in an accompanying Schedule to the regulations. (Part 111 of that schedule referred specifically to the grouping of councils of the counties of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin).
In accordance with Part 111 of the 2006 regulations and directions, a mobile phone allowance shall be payable to a Member in relation to the carrying out of his/her duties as a Member subject to:
- an annual allowance of 50% of the total vouched mobile phone costs associated with the public duties of a member subject to a maximum allowance of €600 per annum (depending on the grouping). For example members of County Councils are eligible for payment of up to €600 pa while Members of some Town Councils are eligible for payment of up to €400 pa or €300 pa (depending on population).
- If in any year a person is a member of a local authority for a period less than the full period of that year, the allowance payable is proportionate to the period of the year during which the person is a member