Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No; we will also be dealing with the Vote for the Department, but we will deal specifically with that chapter in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

On 8 March, we will deal with central government funding of local authorities. We will have the Appropriation Account for 2016. The local government fund will be included as it is a substantial source of funds for local authorities. There is a special report on motor taxation which feeds into funding of local authorities. When dealing with central government funding of local authorities, I propose that we address the Appropriation Accounts for the then Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, the parent Department. We will also have at that meeting a very senior representative from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland because up to 15% of all funding to local authorities comes from that Department.

When those officials are in, we may also deal with the motor taxation account special report as a separate item. The principal funding sources for local government are the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the local government fund, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. If we discussed funding of local government without having the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport represented or dealing with the local government fund, we would not have the complete picture. Given that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport representatives will be here - and motor taxation was generally collected through local authorities but has now gone to the Department, a matter on which a special report was issued - we will deal with all of that on one day as motor tax is the key element of the local government fund at this stage.

Will the Comptroller and Auditor General tell us who is responsible for the local government fund?