Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State said that local authorities need to deal with units that are boarded up. It would be great if they could do so but, to take Wexford as an example, in 2008 Wexford County Council received €26.5 million to deal with issues like boarded up units but in 2012 it received €1.6 million. What can it do for the 4,000 people on the waiting list for social housing in Wexford with an allocation of €1.6 million to deal with its housing problems? There is no point in giving out about the local authorities if they are completely at the mercy of central government for funding. The situation has deteriorated over the past 30 years. For practical purposes, local authorities do not really exist in Ireland at present because they have been drained by central government. We have the most centralised governance in Europe. Our local authorities no longer really function because they have been stripped of their powers and finances. It would be great if the Government funded local authorities to deal with the problems on their doorsteps because they know best about what is facing them.

See this speech in context