John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a catch-22 situation. I fully subscribe to a plan, but when the council is so heavily indebted, with up to €100 million owed, and still keeping essential services going after a massive reduction in staff, it is very difficult. In some cases, it cannot even write cheques. That is how bad it is. I have been speaking to Mr. Lemass about this and he has been very co-operative in every sense, but Sligo has been called the Greece of Ireland when it comes to the funding of local authorities. The amalgamation of town councils was mentioned and there is a huge expectation in respect of the reconfiguration of services. The number of elected officials has been reduced from 35 to 18 and the CEO is doing an impossible job with no money and no services. It is not good enough in this day and age when one considers the amount of tax collected locally. This €100 million debt is ultimately the responsibility of Mr. McCarthy's Department because he is the Accounting Officer responsible. Perhaps the Comptroller and Auditor General might advise me on that. Who is ultimately the Accounting Officer for Sligo County Council?