Dual mandate court challenge set for January
A legal challenge to the ending of the dual mandate system will get under way in the High Court on January 28 in a case taken by Michael Ring, a Fine Gael TD from Co Mayo.
The Government has abolished the dual mandate system, which meant that members of the Oireachtas could also sit on local authorities, so that TDs could concentrate on national and legislative matters, while local matters were controlled by local politicians.
Deputy Ring, however, believes that TDs have the right to sit on local authorities if they so wish, and will take his three-day High Court action at the end of January to try and re-establish that right.
