asked the Minister for the Environment if, in view of the shortfall in finance available to Dún Laoghaire Corporation to maintain existing services and staff, he will provide the money necessary to do so.

(Dublin South-East): On assuming office I found that, while my predecessor had sanctioned an increase of 15 per cent over 1981 in the level of local authority rates for 1982, he had not made adequate provision in the Department's Estimates to allow for full recoupment to local authorities of the value of rates relieved. I also found that local authorities were being required to meet such statutory demands as were served on them in respect of supplementary social welfare allowances and the maintenance of drainage schemes. Further, local authorities had been instructed they could not in 1982 apply the 40 per cent proceeds from the sales of local authority houses towards their current expenditures as had been allowed the previous year.

I have been able to reverse this last decision completely as a result of which about £7 million is being restored to the revenue accounts of all local authorities. I have had the statutory demands limited to an 18 per cent increase, thus relieving local authorities of a liability for a further £2.9 million. The benefit to Dún Laoghaire Corporation of these two decisions by me is £310,000. I have also given the corporation grants totalling £123,000 for roads and environment works. The present Government's budget also provided extra allocations totalling almost £14 million for other local authority services. Dún Laoghaire Corporation's requirements will of course be considered in the allocation of these moneys.