Vol. 475 No. 1
180 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for the Environment the effects, if any, the elimination of service charges will have on the operation of the fire services at urban or county council level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4137/97]
The charges being abolished as part of the new local authority funding system are those for domestic water and sewerage services. Local authorities will still be empowered to levy charges under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983 for fire call outs, etc. All revenue foregone by local authorities on domestic water and sewerage charges will be made good in full under the new funding system and accordingly, there will be no detrimental impact on the fire service, or other services. On the contrary, the increased buoyancy in the new system should enable local authorities to improve the quality of their services generally, including the fire service.
