asked the Minister for Local Government if there has been undue delay in the payment of the road grant and the agricultural grant to Clare County Council this year, rendering overdraft accommodation necessary, and if he will take immediate steps to facilitate payment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Clare County Council's Grants.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state why statutory grants are not made available to the Clare County Council as they fall due; if he is aware that the council suffers considerable financial loss because of the heavy overdraft it carries in order to keep essential public services in operation; and if he will arrange for the punctual payment of these statutory grants or for the payment of the interest on the overdraft caused by the delay in the issue of these grants.
Mr. Murphy
I propose, with your permission, to take this question and Question No. 96 together.
The original Road Fund allocation to the Clare County Council for the current year was £99,302. The allocation was made in July and from then to last month payments amounting to £57,000 were made. A further payment of £32,800 will issue this month. A very large supplementary grant amounting to £122,001 was allocated to the council at the end of October. Claims on foot of the grant have now been received and are being examined. As the Road Fund grants are paid by the Department in recoupment of expenditure actually incurred by the local authority, issues from the grants must necessarily lag somewhat behind local disbursements. Payments on foot of the agricultural grant to the Clare County Council have issued punctually in instalments at higher rates than in previous years. In fact 81.4 per cent. has already been paid this year compared with 69.3 per cent. paid at this time last year.
The Deputies may be assured that I am very much alive to the importance of accelerating as far as possible the payments of these grants to local authorities and that I shall continue my efforts in this direction.
Surely the Minister must know that a considerable slice of the grants go in payment of the interest on the overdrafts which the councils must incur to carry on?
Mr. Murphy
I appreciate that, of course, but I think that the explanation which I have given should help to make the position fully understood.
Is it not a fact that the Exchequer is not meeting its obligations to local authorities not only in respect of road grants but in respect of health services?
Mr. Murphy
And it did not when Deputy MacEntee was in charge.
We never had to send out a note begging for time.
Deputy MacEntee always shouts.
Mr. Murphy
May I say how much I am impressed by Deputy MacEntee's play-acting? In this particular instance, payments were made in December which amounted to 81.4 per cent. as against 69.3 per cent. last year.