Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The baseline in Wicklow, which has a population of 142,000, is €8.5 million. In Mayo, the population of which is 12,000 fewer, it is €19 million. In terms of overall spend, Mayo had approximately €130 million compared to €98 million or €99 million for Wicklow, yet the latter is a net contributor. If one pairs counties such as Wexford and Kerry or Tipperary and the part of Galway outside the city and if one looks at growing areas, one sees the same trend. The baseline ends up being a substitute for funding that would otherwise come from the Exchequer for services such as housing, transport and so on. Local authorities are unable to provide for increased needs because of that baseline. It is a fundamental flaw in the system. I will send a submission on the issue to the Minister and I hope it will be taken into account in the context of the review.

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