Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
759. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of all the submissions received by his Department from the local authorities in relation to the process of categorisation of residential properties within their functional area for the purposes of identifying exemptions from the local property tax. [16182/13]
View answer760. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the residents of a housing estate (details supplied) in County Offaly who were exempt from paying the household charge are now liable for the local property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16222/13]
View answer761. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason housing estates that were categorised as unfinished and exempt from the household charge are now liable to pay the local property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16225/13]
View answer762. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline the rationale for deeming only part of an estate (details supplied) in County Westmeath eligible for a waiver from the local property tax; if the entire estate will be waived from the tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16226/13]
View answer764. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason unfinished estates (details supplied) were not granted a waiver for the local property tax when little or no work has been done to resolve the issues faced by residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16274/13]
View answer770. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the agency that was responsible for drawing up the list of estates in County Mayo that are exempted from the local property tax; if the relevant authority visited each of the 57 estates which were previously exempt from the household charge but which are now eligible for the local property tax; if a written report on each of those 57 estates is available in order to allow residents and representatives view the reasons for their now been eligible to pay the tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16329/13]
View answer783. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in Dublin 11 was exempt from the household charge in 2012 but is not now exempt from the local property tax despite the fact that no remedial works have been carried out to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16508/13]
View answer794. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in County Dublin was not included on the current or previous list of unfinished estates prepared by his Department; and if he will consider its inclusion. [16693/13]
View answer795. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the criteria used in the compilation of the list of unfinished estates by his Department; and the criteria used in drawing up the initial list under the previous Government. [16694/13]
View answer831. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in County Dublin is not included in the list of unfinished housing estates in Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. [17163/13]
View answer835. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reasons an estate (details supplied) in County Meath was not exempted from the property tax as it was from the household charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17222/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 759 to 762, inclusive, 764, 770, 783, 794, 795, 831 and 835 together.
An exemption from the local property tax applies to developments listed in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. The list of unfinished housing developments eligible for the exemption was compiled by local authorities utilising the categorisation employed for the purposes of the National Housing Survey 2012. The survey was carried out over the course of summer 2012 by my Department in conjunction with local authorities and the Housing Agency. The categorisation methodology for the survey was different to that which was used in 2011 and which provided the basis for the waiver from the household charge. That earlier categorisation related largely to the level of on-site activity at the time the 2011 survey was carried out and had less to do with the physical character of a development. The 2012 survey was based purely and objectively on the actual state of completion of a development. Only developments that were deemed by local authorities to be in a “seriously problematic condition”, regardless of whether a developer was on or off site, were included.
In defining areas within developments that were deemed to be of a seriously problematic condition, local authorities gave consideration to those areas that were incomplete, with roads, public lighting infrastructure, open space or water services being so defective that the relevant development was in a seriously problematic condition from the point of view of living standards for residents.
For purposes of preparing the final list of developments to which the exemption from the local property tax would apply local authorities were asked by my Department to confirm or update the then existing list as appropriate. Decisions in relation to the inclusion or exclusion of particular estates were therefore a matter for individual local authorities according to criteria set by my Department. Using the returns provided by all local authorities, a list of housing developments was prepared, and prescribed under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013 for exemption.
Question No. 763 answered with Question No. 752.
Question No. 764 answered with Question No. 759.
