Local Authority Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 June 2013

Thursday, 13 June 2013

Questions (111)

Simon Harris

Question:

111. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the powers that municipal district councils will have in the setting of rates; if municipal districts will have a specifically allocated budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28442/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government, Putting People First, indicates that in the context of reorganisation of local governance structures, the proposed new municipal districts will provide an opportunity to achieve a more coherent approach to rates and charges on a county-wide basis, having regard to funding requirements and the need to support employment and business competitiveness.

The Action Programme proposes rates harmonisation to cater for differences between Annual Rates on Valuation (ARVs) of towns and counties. My approach to rates harmonisation will seek to ensure, that harmonisation does not lead to significant net loss of revenue in individual counties with consequential implications for services, and that any change in rates does not impact negatively on businesses and employment. It is important that local government reform drives down costs to business in order to protect existing jobs and sustain our economic competitiveness.

The annual Budget will be adopted by the County/City Council. There will be a single county-wide executive or operational structure with resources at the disposal of both the county and district elements of local government to implement policy decisions at both levels of jurisdiction and to perform the local authority functions and services generally.

Definitive details, arrangements and procedures in relation to the funding of district level functions, and financial relations hips between district and county levels, will be developed in the context of the new local government funding arrangements generally, implementation of the new sub-county system and preparation of the legislation in relation to the reform programme.