Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 January 2013
691. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an elderly and infirm person (details supplied) in County Longford who paid the household charge on time, has recently received a bill for same with interest on behalf of her husband who died 39 years ago; the steps he will take to ensure such upsetting demands are eliminated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1765/13]
View answerThe Local Government Management Agency is administering the Household Charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. There was no existing comprehensive database of residential properties and their owners within the State prior to the Household Charge being introduced. The collection of the Household Charge via self-assessment declaration provides for the collation of such information in relation to residential property. Local authorities have worked to identify undeclared properties through appropriate data sharing provisions, and significant efforts have been expended in matching self-declared information with other datasets and in refining the resulting data.
I understand that the addresses and names used in letters issued by Local Authorities in recent months reminding people to pay the Household Charge have been based on a data matching exercise with the Property Registration Authority. I also understand that every effort has been made to try and ensure letters are sent to current property owners. However there are some instances where letters are being sent to previous owners of properties, due to the fact that the more recent property owners may not have registered their property with the Authority or the transfer of the property has not been completed. Thus in some cases the information contained within these datasets may not reflect the most recent and relevant details. In other instances, letters have unfortunately been sent to deceased persons. I appreciate that receipt of such a letter may cause upset to relatives of a deceased person. However, in the absence of a comprehensive database, such instances, while regrettable, have been unavoidable in a context in which the Agency and local authorities have worked to maximise compliance with a charge which funds essential local services for communities.
I understand that the letters issued invite recipients who are not liable, or who have previously paid the household charge, or in the event of inaccuracy or error, to contact the Household Charge Bureau to allow the Agency to update their records accordingly.
