Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 1093: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of Exchequer funding used to fund the county and city development boards for each year since their creation in 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1730/09]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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County/City Development Boards (CDBs), led by local government, were established in early 2000 in each county and city area and given statutory recognition in the Local Government Act, 2001. They are representative of local development bodies, State agencies and the social partners operating locally. A key function of the Boards is to bring about the more co-ordinated delivery of public services at local level via their member bodies.

The CDBs are not executive bodies and do not have a specific budget of their own. They are supported in the main by the relevant local authority. In this context, since 2000, a contribution towards the costs of the Boards' operations has been made annually to each county/city council through the General Purpose Grant from the Local Government Fund (LGF). The LGF is financed through a combination of the proceeds of motor tax and an Exchequer contribution.

An inter-departmental committee which I chair is currently involved in implementing the recommendations as set out in an independent review of the CDBs. These recommendations are designed to strengthen and develop the Boards in line with the commitment in the recent Government statement on Transforming Public Services arising from the OECD review of the Irish Public Service and the subsequent Report of the Task Force on the Public Service. As part of this the CDBs are currently carrying out a review of their strategies for the economic, social and cultural development of their areas to ensure that they remain focused on key priorities over the next three years.