Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It states there should be a charge for water based on usage with suitable minimum allowances based on family size, that local authorities should be free to charge for all local services they provide such as refuse collection, the motor tax element of the Local Government Fund should be replaced with an Exchequer grant, new sources of finance should be identified at local level, the power to levy rates should continue at county level, not at sub-county level, and the greater use of shared services, such as IT, payroll and purchasing, should be a mandate in the local government system, something Fianna Fáil voted against yesterday. I rest my case. It is hard to know what Fianna Fáil policy is these days.

In response to Senator Cullinane, I agree that out-of-town centres are places which could give us, by devolved responsibility, an opportunity to ease the burden on town centres. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is examining this to see how, for example, parking charges could be levied on out-of-town centres to level the playing pitch for shops and businesses in town.