An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-18
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Anne Rabbitte (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I wish a good morning to the Deputy Leader. I, too, want to be associated with the good wishes for the season of goodwill. I thank the Deputy Leader, the Leas-Chathaoirleach, the staff of the Seanad Office and the ushers for the support they have given not just me, but everybody here for the past 12 months. It is greatly appreciated.
I have something for us to put in the calendar for when we come back in the new year. Can we have the Minister with responsibility for local authorities - perhaps it is a matter for the Minister for justice - before the House? In many old towns around Ireland, we do not have by-laws. When you ask a local authority to address a particular issue, its representatives sometimes say it does not fall under their jurisdiction. If you talk to An Garda Síochána, its members tell you that they cannot help. The reason they cannot help is because there are no by-laws and issues are no one's responsibility. Those issues might include antisocial behaviour or illegal parking. In actual fact, in many of our vibrant towns and small villages, there are really good Tidy Towns groups. They are totally and utterly frustrated. They go out, day in and day out, to keep the place tidy. They are part of that competition. However, they are doing that work in isolation without support from the arms of the State, whether the local authority or An Garda Síochána. Those two entities cannot assist because the issue is outside their jurisdiction. In the new year, the Deputy Leader might invite the relevant Minister to discuss by-laws and how we can address an issue that in some cases appears to be over 100 years old. We should audit and modernise the by-laws and make them applicable to 2026.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-18