Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Oct 2002

Vol. 554 No. 5

Written Answers. - Local Authority Funding.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

1494 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the full amount of funding paid to each local authority for its local government fund grant in 2002. [16092/02]

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

1518 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the amount of funding paid to each local authority for the local fund grant; and if the Government has fulfilled the commitment given at the time of the abolition of domestic rates, to recoup in full all local authorities for the funding lost to them by that decision. [16310/02]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Cullen):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1494 and 1518 together.

The local government fund 2002 general purpose grant allocations in respect of each local authority are set out in the following table. The total amount of rate support grant paid in 1978, the year of its introduction, amounted to €100.69 million. The Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983, terminated the direct link between the rate support grant and the amount previously paid in respect of rates on domestic dwellings. In any case, comparison with 1978 allocations would be impractical given significant changes in the structure of local government funding over the intervening period including adjustments made to the structure of the rate support grant through the discontinuation of rates on agricultural land; the elimination of statutory demands on local authorities; and the writing off of loan charges under the Local Loans Fund (Amendment) Act, 1987. The local government fund introduced in 1999 now provides local authorities with funding for general purposes and non-national roads. The 2002 local government fund general purpose allocations amount to €593 million which represents an increase of almost 500% on the 1978 rate support grant allocation.

Local Government Fund Allocations 2002.

County	2002Allocations
	€
Carlow County Council	7,727,102
Carlow Town Council	1,354,267
Cavan County Council	11,704,245
Cavan Town Council	598,736
Clare County Council	9,524,638
Ennis Town Council	1,657,136
Kilrush Town Council	407,641
Cork City Council	17,805,348
Cork County Council	36,503,870
Fermoy Town Council	569,464
Macroom Town Council	372,429
Mallow Town Council	694,561
Kinsale Town Council	294,376
Midleton Town Council	364,232
Youghal Town Council	854,504
Clonakilty Town Council	444,449
Cobh Town Council	918,659
Skibbereen Town Council	318,755
Donegal County Council	24,197,831
Buncrana Town Council	656,785
Bundoran Town Council	433,667
Letterkenny Town Council	858,624
Dublin City Council	57,704,958
D.Laoire-Rathdown County Council	27,889,622
Fingal County Council	23,067,650
Sth Dublin County Council	18,652,158
Galway City Council	6,420,782
Galway County Council	23,788,328
Ballinasloe Town Council	622,481
Kerry County Council	17,025,044
Killarney Town Council	1,221,266
Listowel Town Council	560,208
Tralee Town Council	2,482,838
Kildare County Council	15,303,344
Athy Town Council	425,786
Naas Town Council	826,340
Kilkenny County Council	12,672,851
Kilkenny Borough Council	1,377,642
Laois County Council	11,363,361
Leitrim County Council	9,498,936
Limerick City Council	7,619,444
Limerick County Council	16,466,828
Longford County Council	8,637,773
Longford Town Council	918,833
Louth County Council	8,286,979
Drogheda Borough Council	3,749,709
Dundalk Town Council	4,172,913
Mayo County Council	22,136,892

County	2002Allocations
	€
Ballina Town Council	954,232
Castlebar Town Council	775,867
Westport Town Council	635,116
Meath County Council	17,715,578
Kells Town Council	322,291
Navan Town Council	404,697
Trim Town Council	403,941
Monaghan County Council	9,441,027
Carrickmacross Town Council	359,740
Castleblaney Town Council	285,462
Clones Town Council	367,283
Monaghan Town Council	879,573
North Tipperary County Council	11,773,642
Nenagh Town Council	801,600
Templemore Town Council	396,553
Thurles Town Council	716,680
Offaly County Council	9,398,295
Birr Town Council	489,878
Tullamore Town Council	964,947
Roscommon County Council	15,188,170
Sligo County Council	11,293,523
Sligo Borough Council	2,298,982
South Tipperary County Council	14,282,421
Carrick-on-suir Town Council	763,946
Cashel Town Council	460,020
Clonmel Borough Council	2,269,576
Tipperary Town Council	590,438
Waterford City Council	5,406,076
Waterford County Council	13,319,771
Dungarvan Town Council	765,637
Westmeath County Council	12,428,512
Athlone Town Council	1,382,775
Wexford County Council	13,295,995
Enniscorthy Town Council	907,640
New Ross Town Council	661,857
Wexford Borough Council	1,563,233
Wicklow County Council	12,296,360
Arklow Town Council	1,112,004
Bray Town Council	3,301,399
Wicklow Town Council	1,180,573
Total	593,009,595

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

1495 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will provide extra funding on an annual basis to local authorities to enable them to pay their staff salary and wage increases arising from national agreements which were negotiated by the Government and the social partners and then handed down by Government to the local authorities for implementation. [16093/02]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Cullen):

Expenditure arising as a result of increased staffing costs is a matter for local authorities in the context of the determination of their annual estimates. Such expenditure is funded from a variety of sources, including the local government fund, other State grants, rates, fees and charges. As part of the reform of local government, the allocations to local authorities from the local government fund to support their day-to-day activities have greatly increased. In 2002, allocations of €593 million in general purpose grants have been made by my Department to local authorities, an increase of almost 74% on the initial 1997 allocation.