Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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268. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to reimburse local authorities for the significant loss in parking revenues during the Covid-19 pandemic; the losses incurred by each local authority in car parking revenue for the past nine months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41136/20]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department has engaged extensively with representatives of the local government sector and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over recent months concerning the financial challenges facing local authorities as a consequence of the pandemic.

I am aware that the loss of parking revenues, as with other income streams, due to the Covid - 19 pandemic, will have an impact on Local Authority finances. I am also aware that the loss of parking revenues in particular, will vary significantly from one authority to the next.

€600m was allocated by Government to fund the cost of a six-month waiver of rates from 27 March to 27 September 2020, which took the form of a credit in lieu of rates.  To strengthen this support, the Government subsequently announced an extension of the waiver until 27 December 2020, at an additional cost of €300m.  This brings to €900m the financial support to fund the cost of a waiver of commercial rates, which is an unprecedented measure that offers support to both businesses and local authorities.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has sanctioned the distribution of any unspent funds from the overall rates waiver allocation to the sector to help minimise the impact of reductions in other local authority income streams and to help meet the costs associated with the response to the pandemic. This process will not be complete until early 2021.

As has been the case since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, my Department will continue to engage regularly and constructively with the local government sector and with individual local authorities on the financial impacts of the pandemic and other matters arising. In this regard, I am pleased to note that every local authority in the country has now adopted their 2021 revenue budget.