Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

On the environment front, local authorities are also making considerable progress. For example, in the period 2000-04, they achieved increased waste water capacity over seven times greater than in the whole of the previous national development plan period. The number of bring bank facilities increased from 850 in 1998 to 1,929 last year, and there were significant improvements in output across a whole range of activities.

In 2006 the total local government expenditure, current and capital, will for the first time touch the €9 billion mark. Senator Bannon failed to mention how little his party gave to local authorities while it was in power. I remind the Senator that the decision on domestic rates, which we can either regret or celebrate, was not made by one party. It was made by his party in Government in 1976 and was repeated by my party in 1977.