Commercial Rates

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 October 2014

Thursday, 2 October 2014

Questions (88)

Seán Kyne

Question:

88. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his attention has been drawn to the unprecedented number of appeals lodged with the Valuation Tribunal arising from the revaluation of rateable properties in Dublin city and County Waterford; if additional staff will be deployed to the tribunal to supplement its current small cohort of staff to process appeals in an expeditious manner; if such extra staff will be deployed from the Office of the Commissioner of Valuation which is the respondent in all valuation appeals heard by the tribunal; and if so, if there will be measures put in place to ensure the knowledge of procedures, work practices and other confidential information pertinent to the tribunal and acquired by such staff will not be used by the office of the commissioner upon the return of the aforementioned temporarily redeployed staff. [37527/14]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

In recognition of the increased volume of appeals to the Valuation Tribunal arising from the revaluation of Dublin City and Waterford rating authority areas my Department approved  last August a proposal  for the secondment/redeployment of seven staff, one Higher Executive Officer (Assistant Registrar), two Executive Officers and four Clerical Officers to the Valuation Tribunal on a temporary basis to cover the period when these appeals will be heard.

Given the importance of the national revaluation programme and the fact that there was no capacity in the Valuation Office at the time to assign staff to the Tribunal my Department's sanction allowed for the temporary filling of these vacancies either from the central redeployment panel or by secondment. 

The Commissioner of Valuation and the Valuation Tribunal are independent in the exercise of their functions and it is a matter for them to  make their own operational arrangements.