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

The objective is to allow further devolution of responsibility to elected members in order that they can decide on their priorities. In the next while I will be trying to get Departments and agencies to devolve an increasing number of functions to local government, in addition to the ones we are creating in this Bill. It is a matter for the elected members to decide on their priorities regarding whether they want to increase or reduce commercial rates, just as they always have done. I hope elected members will not impose additional burdens on employers and realise, based on their seeing competitive circumstances in neighbouring counties, that doing so would not be in the best interests of employment creation. After the local elections in May, democratically elected members will, in deciding the budget for 2015, have to make difficult decisions on their priorities. However, they will have discretion in putting commercial rates up or down and they will have discretion in the case of other charges also.

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