Senator Garret Ahearn is appealing to the government to improve the financial support available to support the safety and security of Councillors. The Senator raised the matter in the Seanad today under the Topical issues section of the schedule with Minster of State John Cummins responding.
The Seanad heard that only 23 of the 949 councillors in the country have applied for the grant which is capped at €2,500 as only 50% of expenditure can be claimed up to a maximum of €5,000. Senator Ahearn highlights that the Crime Prevention Officer has to visit the Councillors home and assess what security measures they recommend and such measures must be installed by persons registered with the Private Security Authority which is headquartered in Tipperary town.
The Minister confirmed that TDs have an allowance of €25,000 for security measures given many have offices and homes to secure. Minister Cummins is seeking to have the amount available for Councillors increased to €5,000 by increasing the rate of the amount that can be claimed from the councillor’s Local Authority to 100%. It is understood that Revenue have clarified that they would have no issue with the change but approval must also be sought from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
