Vol. 503 No. 6
69 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the moneys, if any, he has provided to each local authority to enable them to implement their objectives under the Waste Management Act, 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10838/99]
Under the waste management programme of the operational programme for environmental services, 1994-99, grant assistance of £3.16 million has been approved in respect of waste recycling projects carried out by local authorities, while grant assistance of over £1.1 million has been approved in respect of waste management strategy studies carried out by local and regional authorities.
Grant assistance of nearly £400,000 has been approved under the Cohesion Fund in respect of feasibility studies on thermal and biological waste treatment options in Irish circumstances.
The new local government funding system which came into effect on 1 January 1999 is providing substantial extra resources for local authorities to assist them in meeting their current expenditure needs. The local government fund will ringfence about £600 million for local authorities' general purpose needs and to finance non-national roads. This is an increase of some £125 million over the equivalent provisions before this Government took office. The extra resources which the new funding system delivers will assist local authorities in addressing their responsibilities under the Waste Management Act, 1996.
