Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 April 2024
138. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will intervene in a compensation dispute between two local authorities by appointing a new group to examine and make a determination (details supplied). [15877/24]
View answerThe Local Government Act 2019 (the Act) was enacted on 31 January 2019 to provide for the transfer of part of the administrative area of Cork County Council to the administrative area of Cork City, and this took place when the new Councils took office after the local elections in late May 2019. Financial responsibility did not transfer to Cork City Council until 1 January 2020 for budgeting and accounting purposes.
The Act provided for the establishment of the statutory Cork Boundary Alteration Implementation Oversight Committee to oversee arrangements for the alteration of the boundary in accordance with the statutory implementation plan.
The Act also provided for financial arrangements to be agreed jointly by the local authorities, which involves an annual contribution by the City Council to the County Council for a period specified in the legislation. Section 24(3) of the Act sets out that in the event that the Chief Executives of the Cork local authorities disagree with one another in relation to the amount of the annual contribution in respect of any year, either of them may refer the matter to the Oversight Committee for a recommendation on the matter.
While the Oversight Committee has not been active since the transfer was concluded and currently has no membership, members may be appointed by me, as Minister, if required in the circumstances outlined.
