I propose to take Questions Nos. 418, 419 and 421 together.
I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 118 and 119 of 14 November 2013 in which I stated that it is a matter for each local authority, including Sligo County Council, to manage its own day-to-day finances in a prudent and sustainable manner. The Action Programme for Effective Local Government, Putting People First, which was published in October 2012, sets out Government policy in terms of a comprehensive range of reforms in relation to local government structures, functions, funding, governance and operational matters. A key objective of the local government reform programme is to address weaknesses in the existing system, including greater financial discretion for local authorities. These issues are being addressed in the reform programme, particularly in the context of the Local Government Bill 2013, which is currently on Second Stage in the Dáil.
It is necessary that local authorities have recourse to overdrafts from time to time as capital spending is funded in arrears and the timing of local authority income such as commercial rates, charges, and rents will not always match expenditure. The requirement for Sligo County Council to continue to deal in a prudent manner with its finances, to find expenditure savings and efficiencies, particularly in the context of its 201 4 budget, and to deal with the accumulated revenue deficit, remains.