asked the Minister for the Environment if he will increase the allocations of funds to Cork County Council to enable the council to maintain essential services i.e. road repairs, hedge cutting, bin collection.
Written Answers. - Cork County Council Services.
514.
Since assuming office I have adopted a number of measures which will improve the financial position in relation to the current expenditure of local authorities. The statutory demands in respect of supplementary social welfare allowances and the maintenance of drainage schemes were limited to an increase of 18 per cent over 1981; the previous administration's decision not to allow the allocation of 40 per cent of the proceeds from the sales of local authority houses towards their current expenditures was reversed. The benefit in revenue to Cork County Council of these two measures will, in 1982, amount to an extra £387,000.
In addition, provision was made in the budget for extra allocations totalling almost £24 million for various local authority services. Cork County Council will receive an equitable share of these funds including £780,000 extra for roads and £230,000 for environmental works.
The net effect of the measures which I have taken is that Cork County Council will benefit in 1982 to the extent of almost £1.4 million extra in its finances.