Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the proposed distribution per county to local authorities funding and the equalisation mechanism. [15810/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I presume that the question relates to Local Property Tax and the distribution of general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund from 2014.

Under section 157 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, commencing in 2014, the Minister for Finance will pay into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax paid into the Central Fund during that year. The Government has indicated an intention to move, from 2014, to 80% retention of all Local Property Tax receipts within the local authority area where the Tax is raised and has asked a working group, at official level, to consider the balance of taxation and spending measures necessary to support this intention. The remaining 20% of the Tax collected nationally will be re-distributed on an equalised basis to local authorities within the context of the annual allocations of General Purpose Grants.

Local authorities' cost and income bases vary significantly from one another. General purpose grants from the Local Government Fund are structured to bring about equalisation over time; that is a position of balance where the financial needs of local authorities are met by their resources and they are able to provide a reasonable level of service to their customers.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the estimated amount of 2013 revenue raised from road tax which will be used to pay of the States debts not related to our road network. [15812/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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A sum of up to €150m will be transferred from the Local Government Fund to the Exchequer in late 2013 as a necessary measure towards the reduction of the national deficit. In determining the amount to be transferred, account will be taken of the balance then in the Fund and of any funding commitments that have been made to local authorities.