Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

It would be very unfair to say we are working on guess work - we understand the full quantum of pay in the total sums. However, we do not have it disaggregated to the degree the Deputy feels we ought to have at a central level. There is always a divergence of view about devolution. We call it local government and not national government in a local setting. The local authorities have autonomy in a number of the functions they perform and they decide the specific skills they need in their own functional areas. Not every local authority is identical in the skill set required because obviously a predominantly rural local authority has a different skillset requirement than an urban one has. Consistent with proper oversight and ensuring proper value for money, I believe the Deputy is correct. However, we also need to balance that with ensuring a degree of autonomy at local level if we are to have local government worthy of that title.

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