Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I am sure the city and county managers and local councillors from all parties and none are disappointed by his response. They need absolute certainty. I will give the Minister of State an example of the financial impact Covid-19 has had on Dublin City Council alone. Dublin City Council faces €41 million in additional costs due to Covid-19. It has experienced a loss of non-rates income of €32 million. The Minister of State will agree that this is a really serious situation. Communities and people throughout the State rely heavily on services provided by their local councils. We must ensure that there are no cuts to services in our communities or staff numbers. This matter must be addressed urgently.

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