Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The matter being raised my colleagues and I is the urgent need to provide adequate funding and resources to both local authorities in Galway. I will not voice my opinion but refer to the interim reports from the expert group whose recommendation on the amalgamation of the authorities the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, accepted, although he failed examine the recommendations to increase staffing and resources, which are a prerequisite before doing anything else. The report in June 2017 refers to the local authorities being significantly under-resourced and resources being significantly reduced by between 20% and 35% from 2008 levels. The April 2018 interim report of the expert advisory group has only nine pages but attention is repeatedly called to the underfunding. It states: "We believe it is now all the more urgent..." and refers to underfunding of Galway local authorities in comparison with other local authorities. It recommends. "that the existing deficiencies in respect of both the human and financial resources be expeditiously resolved as an essential prerequisite to the amalgamation process", on page 3. On page 9, the expert group highlights that based on the evidence considered by the group "the current level of human and financial resources available to both Galway City and County Councils falls short...".

There are many more such instances. The Minister of State should leave my opinion out of this and acknowledge what the expert group is saying in the review.

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