Results 14,641-14,660 of 34,627 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: It would point out that if some organisations can do it, why the rest cannot do it. I take the Deputy's point. We have the work programme and will have to come back with a date for the meeting we missed last week. We will try to schedule a date. The secretariat will work on this with regard to the Department of the Taoiseach and the strategic communications unit.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: We will ask the secretariat to address this over the break. That concludes our discussion for today on the work programme. I propose to suspend the meeting for a few minutes to allow our witnesses to take their seats.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: In the first session of today's meeting, we will consider chapter 8 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report of 2016, which is on central Government funding of local authorities, the Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016 and Special Report No. 97 on the administration and collection of motor taxes. The second session will focus on the Appropriation Account for the Department...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I thank Mr. Doyle and invite Mr. Nolan to make his opening statement.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I thank Mr. Nolan. Before I call the first member, for the benefit of those watching the proceedings of the meeting, I would like to set the context of what we are discussing. As set out in the reports before us, public funding for local authorities comes from nine sources, including the local government fund, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Transport Infrastructure Ireland,...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I thought that by capturing all nine sources we would have captured most of the funding allocated to local authorities. Mr. McCarthy is now saying only €2.2 billion comes from the sources I mentioned, which is about one third of the funding allocated to local authorities. From where does the other two thirds come? The local authorities derive income from commercial rates, planning...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I thought we had a comprehensive list here today, and people would have assumed that. I know Deputy Cassells will mention rates and some other issues, but there is as much money being raised locally for revenue expenditure by local authorities themselves, separate from the commercial rates. Essentially, central government is only a small contributor and provides a third of the funding for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: Fine. It is nice to get that information. The Department will probably send us a list of the breakdown of the three thirds and-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I ask Mr. McCarthy to send it to us because it is valuable reading.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I have one final question. What is the total debt of all the local authorities combined? The Department must have an approximate-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: That is fine. As Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, I am just surprised. I know people complain about the amount of fundraising involved. I am surprised to hear that two thirds of the income of all local authorities is generated locally through rates and all the other types of income. Most of those complaints are directed at the lack of funding from the Central Fund, but in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I call Deputy Cassells. I just wanted to get the big picture before we get into specifics.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy is gone over his time.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy is going to get all the time he wants today. Other members have commitments in the Chambers as well, however.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I have to go to Deputy Catherine Murphy now.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: We will come back.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: I am going to Deputy Catherine Murphy now.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: We will come back to it during the course of the meeting, but we have to go to Deputy Catherine Murphy, who is on a tight schedule.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: Deputy Cullinane is next.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 8: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Local Government Fund Financial Statement 2016
Special Report No. 97 of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Administration and Collection of Motor Taxes (8 Mar 2018)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy will get a second chance on this later.