Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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627. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason for the significant inequity that exists in his departmental funding of local authorities (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41812/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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There are a wide variety of Central Government funding streams to local authorities, with transfers coming from a wide range of Departments and Offices, not solely from my Department, for a variety of purposes. Some streams of funding are delivered directly from funding departments to local authorities, while others are routed through departmental agencies. Some elements of funding are project-specific, giving rise to significant changes in funding from one year to another, depending on a project's progression.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) reports on the Central Government funding of local authorities as part of his Annual Report, which provides an overview of the funds flowing from and through central government sources to local authorities and the purposes for which funds have been provided. The most recent report is available on the website of the C&AG at the link below:

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My own Department has a wide business agenda including providing necessary housing supports. In order to deliver on this agenda, my Department allocates significant resources to a variety of organisations, including local authorities. In this context, across all schemes and funding sources, my Department provided a total of €31.5m to Galway County Council in 2015 and €33.5m in 2016.

If the Deputy wishes to put down a more specific question I will endeavour to provide the information sought.