Dublin City Council's annual budget meeting was held last night. Six councillors voted against it, including Councillors Pat Dunne and Sophie Nicoullaud. I support their position. Between amendments and variations on vacancy refunds, the fundamental baseline of the budget is wrong. When the local property tax was introduced, it was clearly stated by the Government that the tax would assist in funding better services and that people in Dublin city and all over the country would see better services in their local authority areas. Despite that, Dublin City Council has taken in €94.5 million in local property tax, which is €12.5 million more than last year. This is due to a review of valuations and the equalisation fund being done away with. When that was announced, it was said there would be additional funding for local authorities. In reality, virtually all of that €27 million extra-----

The Deputy's time is up.

-----went to housing and roads, which were previously funded by central government. There is only €3 million left for the local authority in the city of Dublin, which is €2 per person. Will the Government bring back central funding to local authorities?

We cannot negotiate local authority estimates here on the Order of Business.

It is to do with central funding.

I take it that the six councillors that Deputy Collins referred to probably opposed the local property tax in the first place.

They did.

There you go. Now the Deputy is bemoaning the fact that Dublin City Council does not have enough property tax, yet those councillors opposed the local property tax in the first instance.

No, I am talking about central government funding for local authorities. There was a rise in the local property tax.

I advise the Deputy that this Government has given more funding to local government in the last three years than it has received in decades. This week, we will supply further funding of €5 million to Dublin City Council to assist it with additional energy costs. We have already dealt with the rates revaluation with Dublin City Council and filled that gap. For councillors who opposed the local property tax through their Deputies to complain that they do not believe they are getting enough is a contradiction in itself.