Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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361. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the cost of restoring the local government fund to 2008 levels. [27493/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I assume that the Question refers to general purpose grants (GPG) from the Local Government Fund. The Local Government Fund historically provided local authorities with finance for funding some of their day-to-day activities, including elements of water services costs, through General Purpose Grant allocations; for non-national roads; and funding for certain local government initiatives. As a result of the introduction of Local Property Tax and the establishment of Irish Water, the local government funding model has changed considerably and accordingly direct comparisons year on year are not practicable as the removal of water related expenditures previously incurred by local authorities must be recognised.

In 2008 €979,228,405 was paid in General Purpose Grants to all Local Authorities. In 2016, it is anticipated that approximately €453, 300,000 will be paid to Local Authorities in the form of Local Property Tax allocations. As indicated above, water-related funding, provided to local authorities as part of General Purpose Grants until 2013, is now dealt with separately through Irish Water.