Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That could have been avoided if previous Governments had addressed the two fundamental issues of the revaluation process and the fact that the property tax was not paid on new homes that were built, thus increasing the burden on the owners of existing properties.I accept that dealing with this issue is now in the programme for Government, but regretfully, legislation is required to deal with the revaluation and bringing new properties into the net. What does not need legislation and is in the programme for Government is the commitment that all money collected locally be maintained locally in each county.

The second issue here relates to the self-funding element and the baseline element. We have an opportunity to give the council some break before the budgetary process starts in a month. The Ministers for Finance and Housing, Planning and Local Government should look at both those elements, which can be adjusted and can give additional funding to local authority members to provide the services that are badly needed, while we try to address the legislation that is needed for the other two matters I have raised.