John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

There has been controversy in some quarters, but only four local authorities are affected in terms of development levies etc. The figure amounts to approximately 14% of total spend. As the overall capital spend is approximately €6 billion, I do not anticipate a significant impact.

I will supply some details. The general state of the economy and the need for prudent management and control of the public finances impose a deeper level of discipline in and management of all areas of public investment. Local authorities, like other parts of the public service, must manage their operations within these constraints. In this context, a key requirement is to advance and manage projects in a way that takes account of environmental, economic and social priorities.

The overall capital spend will be in excess of €6 billion and local authorities will contribute significantly to economic renewal. The spend comprises an investment of €2 billion in housing, more than €1 billion on roads and several hundred million euro each on water, the environment and local amenities. I do not anticipate a major problem. There will be some degree of difficulty, but it can be exaggerated in some quarters. However, I do not anticipate there will be a huge difficulty regarding some of the main infrastructural projects such as, for example, those discussed earlier like water infrastructure.

See this speech in context