HC Deb 18 March 1976 vol 907 cc1534-5
19. Mr. Kilfedder

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to restore democracy to local government in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Concannon

District councils in Northern Ireland are democratically-elected bodies and we have no plans for changing the present system of local government.

Mr. Kilfedder

Since Northern Ireland is under-represented in this House and since about half the members of the area education and health boards are nominated by the responsible Ministers and are not elected by the people, does not this situation include all the ingredients for a bureaucratic and insensitive approach to local problems? As—

Mr. Speaker

Order. I suggested earlier that if the hon. Gentleman got to the point of his Question, we should get on more quickly.

Mr. Kilfedder

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I ask briefly, therefore, whether the Minister realises that a fully-elected third tier system for local government is urgently needed in Northern Ireland?

Mr. Concannon

A substantial proportion of the membership of area boards is already drawn from district councils even though the services provided are financed entirely by the Government.