John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

Everything is down. The level of local government funding is relevant to the Bill because it deals with the funding provided for all Departments. For whatever reason, this issue was kicked to touch in the budget, other than reducing the overall grant allocation to local authorities. It is, however, a significant issue because we have a centralised system of local government, but we now have an opportunity to reimagine how we provide public services from top to bottom. Much of what is done centrally is managed at local level in most other European countries. Local authorities are being starved of funding. I recognise the political angle in terms of giving Fianna Fáil candidates in next year's general election an opportunity to claim local authorities led by Fine Gael and the Labour Party pushed up rates. They will have no option but to increase them because their funding from the Exchequer is being dramatically reduced. Most local authorities have already removed all of their temporary and part-time staff and are down to the bare bones. We are left with the structures put in place by the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, in which top level managers are paid large salaries and bonuses, irrespective of whether they deserve them.