Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All I would say to Deputy Deasy is that the issues he has raised are being discussed during the course of the day. Any savings that will accrue from the reforms we are undertaking should not impose any additional cost on business. This is about harmonisation of the systems in place downwards, not upwards. At the end of the day, it is a matter for the elected members, who have a reserved function on this matter at budget time, to ensure that is the case.

Considerable savings will be made from the elimination of the duplication and the integration of services at staffing level, as well as at a structural level, to allow for that to happen. I will make allocations very shortly in regard to the general purpose grants, in conjunction with Irish Water, which will hopefully allow local authorities to see the benefit of the reform in 2014 and not just be waiting over a ten-year period.

Under the legislation, it can be up to ten years but if local authorities are in a position financially to harmonise their rates in one go and have the resources arising from these allocations to do so, we will do so. In respect of the other issues relating to 50%, we suggested on Committee Stage in the Seanad that will be a reserved function of the local authorities.

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