Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 5 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 2

Written Answers. - Local Authority Appointments.

Phil Hogan

Ceist:

19 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the financial cost of appointments made to each local authority in the year 2000; the additional cost involved in these appointments; the financial outlay involved for his Department, taking into account the debt provisions of national pay awards; and if he will make a statement on the matter [7879/01]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

My Department has no information in relation to the cost of staffing appointments made by local authorities in any year.

Expenditure arising as a result of additional staffing costs, however arising, is a matter for local authorities in the context of the determination of their annual estimates. The funding of such expenditure is from a variety of sources, including the local government fund and other State grants, rates, fees and charges.

The Deputy will be aware that, as part of my reforms of local government, I have greatly increased the allocations to local authorities from the Local Government Fund to support their day-to-day activities. In 2001, I have allocated £436 million in general purpose grants to local authorities, an increase of almost 64% on the initial 1997 allocation. I have also sought to distribute such funds among local authorities in a more equitable manner. The 2001 allocation represents an across the board increase of a minimum of 12.5% over the previous year's allocation to all local authorities.

In addition, in continuing the trend towards equalisation, some local authorities have been given increases in excess of this level on the basis of the needs and resources model. Staffing costs of local authorities is one of the factors taken into account in the model's calculations.