Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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851. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the borrowing criteria for local authorities. [36880/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, including authorising borrowing, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority. Local authority borrowing is subject to the provisions of the Local Government Act 2001; borrowing is a reserved function under Section 106 and requires the sanction of the appropriate Minister. Borrowing proposals, including overdrafts, must be submitted to the relevant Minister together with a resolution of the local authority members approving the proposed borrowing.

All borrowing by local authorities is subject to the overall limits which are set by the Government from time to time in the context of the General Government Balance.