asked the Minister for Local Government whether he can state what proportion of the Co. rates in County Dublin for the years 1921 and 1922 has been collected, what is the total amount of arrears for these two years; how much has been remitted as uncollectable, and what steps are being taken by the County Council to collect the arrears.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - RATE COLLECTION IN CO. DUBLIN.
The following is the information required:
|
Total to be collected |
Amount collected |
Amount struck off as irrecoverable |
Arrears carried forward for collection. |
||||||||
|
Year to 31—3—'22. |
|||||||||||
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d |
|
273,430 |
6 |
2 |
218,985 |
8 |
8 |
Nil. |
54,444 |
17 |
6 |
||
|
Year to 31—3—'23. |
|||||||||||
|
*182,920 |
5 |
3 |
143,434 |
13 |
4 |
7,654 |
2 |
6 |
31,831 |
9 |
5 |
|
*This includes the £54,444 17s. 6d. carried forward. |
A considerable amount of the arrears indicated above (£31,831 9s. 5d.) was paid after the close of the election. It is understood that the County Council instructed the collectors to concentrate on the collection of the arrears, and a large amount as then forthcoming. Writs were obtained in a number of cases and handed to the Sheriff. The amount outstanding has, in consequence, been reduced to £18,479 1s. 1d. I am informed that the County Solicitor has been, and is at present, actively engaged in prosecuting in certain cases in each collection district, and that all possible steps are being taken to collect the arrears.
I wish to ask is the Minister aware that the Dublin County Council are threatening proceedings against people who are only in arrears for one year's rates, while they fail to collect £18,000 of previous years arrears, and will he instruct them to proceed first against people who owe arrears for more than two years instead of against those who owe only one year?
I think it would be very inadvisable, from the point of view of policy, to give such a guarantee, because it would encourage people not to pay the current year's rates until the others were paid up. I could not give that undertaking.