Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline the reduction in the Local Government Fund allocation to each local authority area in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38983/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I assume the question refers to general purpose grants from the local government fund. As indicated in the reply to Questions Nos. 37 and 41 , the two principal sources of revenue for the local government fund are the proceeds of motor tax and the income from the household charge. The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provides that income from the household charge be paid into the local government fund. The proceeds from the household charge are being redistributed on an equalised basis to local authorities within the context of the annual allocations of general purpose grants.

General purpose grants contribute towards meeting the reasonable cost to local authorities of providing services to their customers. Some €651 million in general purpose grants had been allocated to local authorities for 2012. I have decided to withhold general purpose grant funding to local authorities in the third quarter of this year in light of the level of compliance, so far, with the household charge. It is estimated that €160 million will be collected each year as part of the local government budget, and this was part of the budget at the beginning of the year for each local authority. As of 14 September, €103 million had been collected nationally. A total of €15.69 million was withheld from the third quarter general purpose grant payment, which represents a reduction of between 1% and 3% of the total general purpose grant allocation for 2012.

I am keeping the income generated from the household charge under constant review. It is up to individual local authorities to address potential funding shortfalls arising from non-compliance with the legislation and to pursue those who may have a liability and initiate court proceedings, where it is considered appropriate. Local authorities can progressively recoup their original general purpose grant allocation through improved household charge compliance. The final amount of general purpose grants available for 2012 will be revisited and reviewed in the final quarter of the year to take account of the then financial position, including progress on securing an increased household charge yield. I am confident that the level of general purpose grants, together with other Government grants and subsidies and income raised from local sources, is appropriate to meet the costs of providing a reasonable level of local authority services to communities.

The tabular statement sets out the information requested in respect of individual county and city councils.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I cannot understand how the Minister can be so confident that local authorities will meet the demands of their constituents in providing services next year, given the difficulties they face towards the end of this year, by virtue of him penalising them for something they had nothing do with. With regard to the household charge and its child, the property tax, how long has the Minister had the Thornhill report on his desk? Has he brought it to Government? Has it been discussed at Cabinet? When does he expect to make a recommendation?

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The property tax report, or the Thornhill report as it is known, has been with me since June and I will bring it to Government in the context of the budgetary matters that will be under discussion over the next few weeks.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There must be many pages in it.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is a budgetary matter.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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It must be an excessively big document when one thinks the Minister has had it since June and has not brought it to Cabinet yet.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I have read it.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The whole country can talk about options that might or might not be in the report while the Minister decides what he wants to take from it. This fanfare must come to an end. The Minister has to bring about a proper budgetary and management system. The whole thing is in complete disarray.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It goes back to-----

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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It goes back to the troika and all the rest of it. We are hearing that for the past few years.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The budget is in December.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Cowen will be aware that as part of the negotiated agreement, with which he is well familiar----

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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That the Government did not renegotiate the agreement, having promised it would.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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-----a property tax was in the text. The EU-IMF require us to implement such a tax. The interim tax was the household charge, which will help to develop the database to ensure people get a bill in 2013 and beyond. The Minister for Finance will bring forward the property tax and it will be part of the Budget Statement.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Does the Minister think it is completely unacceptable that Clare County Council is blackmailing applicants for higher education grants in the context of the household charge-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, we have dealt with that. This has nothing to do with the question.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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-----and threatening the future of young people and their career and education prospects?

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Deputy. There is a Deputy sitting here who has been waiting for the past three quarters of an hour for his question. I thought the Deputy had a question when I gave him the floor. I call Deputy Higgins.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is not from County Clare, thank God.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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I ask the Minister to acknowledge that since the household tax is almost an austerity tax to bail out the speculators and bondholders, it is absolutely immoral for him to cut back on funds for services from central taxation that will affect the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people. Does the Minister not agree further that it is an outrage that county councils would threaten students with their grants-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy and ask him to put his question in respect of what is on the Order Paper.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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-----to try to blackmail their parents into giving up their completely justified boycott against this tax?

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have already dealt with that issue.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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As Deputy Higgins is aware, the Government is trying to broaden the tax base from a standing start with no database and it will do that.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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The Minister should listen to Peter Bacon, who has ridiculed that idea. He rebuts it.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy must be the only socialist in the world who is against that-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Is it okay to blackmail people?

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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-----as one of the few so-called socialists in the place. However, the Government will broaden the tax base. Unlike Deputy Higgins, it does not wish to impose any more tax on workers.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Who will pay the property tax? Will it be someone from Mars?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We will turn to Question No. 47.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Apparently, a Cheann Comhairle, there are secret pots of gold under every house.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Deputy. Please speak through the Chair.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy should try the fracking.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you. Please speak through the Chair.