Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have a crisis in Galway county with all five municipal districts rejecting their proposed budgets due to the severe lack of funding of Galway County Council. This should come as a surprise to nobody as Galway elected representatives have been highlighting this year after year. In 2020 we had the second-lowest spend per capitaof all counties, with only €714 being spent per person in our county, compared with more than €1,000 in Clare, more than €1,200 in Leitrim and almost €1,200 in Longford. In a ten-year period from 2008 to 2018, the funding fell from €160 million to €112 million. This has since been increased, although not in the past year, and it is still €25 million less than it had been.

Galway County Council has consistently had a budget per capitathat was not only millions of euro less than the closest comparator but also millions of euro below the average of comparators. We need urgent action from the Government on this and it must immediately engage with Galway County Council and councillors in this regard.

Táimid i ngéarchéim i gContae na Gaillimhe, faoi láthair, insím don Aire Stáit. Tá an cúig cheantar bardais tar éis a mbuiséad a dhiúltú de bharr easpa maoinithe. Ní féidir leis seo iontas a chur ar aon duine. Tá ionadaithe tofa á ardú é seo le blianta. In 2020, bhí an dara caiteachas is lú in aghaidh an duine ag Contae na Gaillimhe i gcomparáid leis na contaetha eile. Is é sin le rá ach nach raibh ach €714 á chaitheamh in aghaidh an duine, cé go raibh os cionn €1,000 á chaitheamh i gContae an Chláir agus €1,200 á chaitheamh i gContae Liatroma agus beagnach €1,200 i gContae an Longfoirt. Tá an chomhairle ag rá go soiléir nach bhfuil a dhóthain airgid aici leis na seirbhísí a dteastaíonn ar fad uaithi a chur ar fáil don phobal. Caithfidh an Rialtas déileáil leis seo agus labhairt leis an gcomhairle contae agus labhairt leis na comhairleoirí contae freisin.

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