Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators. Senator Brady made his point well. Local government is now big business. Close on €1 billion will be transferred under the heading of the general purposes grant from central government. The local authorities will raise approximately €600 million in development levies. It is important that councillors know exactly what they receive. Between current and capital expenditure, local authorities will spend approximately €9 billion. It is important to bring a much greater sense of professionalism to the process. It is also important for local authority members to have information on value they regard as helpful in their deliberations. I attended a meeting today with representatives of the County and City Managers Association where I made the point that the existence of effective audit committees represents a win-win situation. They are positive for public representatives and management and, most importantly, for the taxpayer.

Senator Bannon expressed concerns about the membership of audit committees. They will comprise representatives and nominees of the businesses involved in addition to their local authority membership. The reality is that local government is big business — a vastly expanding business which touches on the lives of every citizen. In the context of an overall budget of €9 billion, it is critically important that local government secures good value for every euro it spends. Local authority members to whom I have spoken welcome the enhanced role of audit committees as a positive move forward, and it has also received a positive response from the local authority managers to whom I spoke today. I am confident we will make progress on this issue. I thank Senators for their contributions on this group of amendments.