Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Hourigan for the question. My Department is cognisant of the current financial environment in which local authorities, including Dublin City Council, are operating, and the pressures facing them in respect of general inflation and higher energy costs in particular. These challenges are common across the sector - indeed, across the State - and I will set out how support from central government for local authorities in 2023 will increase in recognition of their financial challenges.

My officials are in regular and ongoing contact with the sector on the issue of increased energy costs and my Department recognises the serious impact of these financial challenges. In this regard, additional support of €60 million has been secured to assist local authorities in meeting the increased costs across a wide range of services. In line with the public sector generally, local authorities will also need to seek to reduce their energy consumption. Work is already under way in that regard.

For 2023, the Government is making a significant contribution of €333 million to support local authorities. A large portion of this amount, €199 million, will be to assist local authorities with the cumulative effect on pay costs arising from the national pay agreements and the unwinding of the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation. This allocation will ensure that local authorities have the necessary people to perform their functions and to provide more than 1,000 essential public services to our citizens.

As has happened in previous years, we will engage with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding any additional pay increases that are confirmed for 2023. Across all schemes and funding sources, my Department has provided €737 million in 2020, €724 million in 2021 and over €305 million to the end of August 2022 to Dublin City Council. Included in this is an unprecedented level of support provided by central government to local authorities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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