James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Members of Cork County Council are well able to fire a torpedo up here to give out about Oireachtas Members and Ministers when they are not happy but that level of money being paid out is entirely unacceptable. It is not the fault of the Minister or the Department officials when other local authorities seem to be doing this without any concern or issue. It needs to be on the record of the House here that this is not acceptable and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Businesses are closing on main streets all over Cork county. The impact that has on the rates income for the council is very significant. There is an urgent need for the financial support that has been put in place by the work of the Department officials and the Ministers of State. The fact that there is such a little amount of money for a county the size of Cork is deeply concerning. That is something that should be taken away from today. I understand that the Minister was doing communications this morning with the council. It is astonishing how little has been paid out to a county of that size, considering the circumstances we find ourselves in, including high energy costs and other issues. It is astonishing that this has been allowed to persist.

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