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Local Authority Finances

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2015

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Questions (734)

Michael McGrath

Question:

734. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will indicate separately the development levy balance held in each local authority area; his views on the restrictions that local authorities face in spending these levies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29729/15]

View answer

Written answers

My role as Minister with regard to development contributions is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted by each local authority. The adoption of these schemes is a reserved function of the locally elected members of each planning authority. It is a matter for the members to determine the level of contribution and the types of development to which they will apply. Similarly, and as with all local charges, the invoicing and collection of any outstanding development contributions is a matter for the planning authority concerned to manage in the light of prevailing local circumstances and in accordance with normal financial procedures. Where any payments required in respect of development contributions are not settled, such payments may be pursued by the planning authority through the courts as a contract debt and until such time as amounts outstanding are discharged in full, the conditions of the relevant planning permission are regarded as not having been met with the development concerned being unauthorised.

Information on the monetary value of development contribution balances on hand (collected at year end and not spent) is not available in my Department. In relation to development levy debtors and amounts collectable, local authorities are obliged to include data on current and long-term development levy debtors in their Annual Financial Statements. The figures set out in the table outline the position at the end of 2013. The audited figures for 2014 are not yet available. Current debtors are debts due in the current year, and long term debtors are debts due in respect of periods greater than one year. An annual breakdown in respect of long term debtors is not available. Data on bad debt provisions relating to current development levy debtors, is also included in the table and is sourced from Quarterly Debtor Reports collected from local authorities by my Department.

Restrictions on the use of contributions are necessary. The charging of development contributions is intended to allow local authorities to recoup some of the costs to public funds of servicing land for private development. Without such contributions, this servicing would not proceed or the full cost would have to be borne by the taxpayer. The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, therefore provides for income from development levies to be ring-fenced to pay for facilities servicing new development, for example, for roads, footpaths, public lighting and open spaces.

Development contributions are levied by planning authorities on the basis of a development contribution scheme approved by the elected members which sets out how contributions are to be applied in their respective functional areas. The level of contribution, and the types of development to which development contributions should apply, is therefore determined at local authority level in accordance with the powers vested in elected members in this connection.

Local Authority

Current Development Levy Debtors - €*

Current Development Levy Bad Debt Provision - €**

Long Term Development Levy Debtors €***

Net due in one year****

Carlow County Council

1,241,623

1,099,489

1,527,779

€142,134

Cavan County Council

656,147

175,000

4,359,922

€481,147

Clare County Council

4,405,242

5,122,821

2,014,553

-€717,579

Cork County Council

8,737,494

8,813,728

40,778,678

-€76,234

Donegal County Council

726,045

0

3,892,885

€726,045

Fingal County Council

50,058,710

45,267,003

30,881,531

€4,791,707

Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council

38,782,901

33,282,901

40,936,147

€5,500,000

Galway County Council

1,795,486

500,000

15,500,000

€1,295,486

Kerry County Council

1,968,224

630,000

119,620

€1,338,224

Kildare County Council

3,723,972

1,861,987

9,493,504

€1,861,985

Kilkenny County Council

5,302,041

4,800,000

0

€502,041

Laois County Council

1,017,685

101,769

2,383,496

€915,916

Leitrim County Council

980,675

218,383

1,716,919

€762,292

Limerick County Council

28,713,036

27,486,305

99,173

€1,226,731

Longford County Council

2,483,405

2,232,795

568,000

€250,610

Louth County Council

2,337,033

1,386,163

2,313,966

€950,870

Mayo County Council

9,576,292

5,982,115

293,385

€3,594,177

Meath County Council

16,462,721

14,384,669

6,884,602

€2,078,052

Monaghan County Council

869,610

223,389

2,928,245

€646,221

North Tipperary County Council

1,264,888

500,356

718,286

€764,532

Offaly County Council

3,446,581

2,363,000

81,046

€1,083,581

Roscommon County Council

12,263,242

10,000,000

422,979

€2,263,242

Sligo County Council

194,000

118,500

775,866

€75,500

Local Authority

Current Development Levy Debtors - €*

Current Development Levy Bad Debt Provision €**

Long Term Development Levy Debtors €***

Net due in one year****

South Dublin County Council

4,575,135

878,772

12,089,003

€3,696,363

South Tipperary County Council

941,525

470,763

1,246,350

€470,762

Waterford County Council

2,412,117

1,085,453

0

€1,326,664

Westmeath County Council

2,243,180

1,866,199

0

€376,981

Wexford County Council

10,114,348

3,892,247

5,977,516

€6,222,101

Wicklow County Council

5,722,097

150,000

0

€5,572,097

Cork City Council

5,367,431

4,312,200

1,981,555

€1,055,231

Dublin City Council

22,227,479

17,781,984

15,155,717

€4,445,495

Galway City Council

3,589,318

3,376,433

3,294,287

€212,885

Limerick City Council

1,398,355

869,092

138,875

€529,263

Waterford City Council

413,173

376,918

192,725

€36,255

Clonmel Borough Council

329,725

164,862

33,016

€164,863

Drogheda Borough Council

4,557,856

1,643,428

242,010

€2,914,428

Kilkenny Borough Council

2,072,317

1,700,000

0

€372,317

Sligo Borough Council

196,000

93,000

381,591

€103,000

Wexford Borough Council

2,504,629

833,873

0

€1,670,756

Arklow Town Council

419,929

0

1,501,517

€419,929

Athlone Town Council

1,457,503

1,335,101

0

€122,402

Athy Town Council

53,214

26,607

211,511

€26,607

Ballina Town Council

172,413

170,000

0

€2,413

Ballinasloe Town Council

548,713

359,000

324,000

€189,713

Birr Town Council

505,554

204,914

0

€300,640

Bray Town Council

246,244

20,000

533,415

€226,244

Local Authority

Current Development Levy Debtors - €*

Current Development Levy Bad Debt Provision €**

Long Term Development Levy Debtors €***

Net due in one year****

Buncrana Town Council

7,163

39,163

240,000

-€31,999

Bundoran Town Council

390,626

0

0

€390,626

Carlow Town Council

1,428,499

1,350,000

99,269

€78,499

Carrick on Suir Town Council

190,312

173,939

590,479

€16,374

Carrickmacross Town Council

10,386

0

50,249

€10,386

Cashel Town Council

124,950

62,475

25,690

€62,475

Castlebar Town Council

851,365

700,000

0

€151,365

Castleblayney Town Council

408,716

0

0

€433,397

Cavan Town Council

43,658

77,566

238,307

-€33,908

Clonakilty Town Council

779,967

616,305

32,766

€163,662

Clones Town Council

25,125

20,000

0

€5,125

Cobh Town Council

143,728

27,834

0

€115,894

Dundalk Town Council

1,281,842

1,120,792

5,501,053

€161,050

Dungarvan Town Council

327,776

208,140

0

€40,000

Ennis Town Council

1,261,327

1,200,000

0

€61,327

Enniscorthy Town Council

134,187

134,187

234,859

€0

Fermoy Town Council

155,771

138,083

0

€17,688

Kells Town Council

113,320

65,000

0

€48,320

Killarney Town Council

261,730

174,087

121,443

€87,643

Kilrush Town Council

8,623

0

0

€8,623

Kinsale Town Council

551,277

247,767

0

€303,510

Letterkenny Town Council

1,034,159

817,319

0

€216,841

Listowel Town Council

175,944

150,000

0

€25,944

Longford Town Council

1,826,178

1,629,494

162,000

€196,684

Local Authority

Current Development Levy Debtors - €*

Current Development Levy Bad Debt Provision - €**

Long Term Development Levy Debtors - €***

Net due in one year****

Macroom Town Council

380,849

138,899

68,225

€241,950

Mallow Town Council

1,790,543

287,896

76,140

€1,502,647

Midleton Town Council

250,550

233,633

0

€16,917

Monaghan Town Council

928,375

50,366

4,306

€878,009

Naas Town Council

1,508,499

413,221

300,498

€1,095,278

Navan Town Council

658,564

125,875

0

€532,689

Nenagh Town Council

1,323,756

121,356

120,370

€1,202,400

New Ross Town Council

690,281

406,156

221,514

€284,125

Skibbereen Town Council

602,361

576,895

0

€25,466

Templemore Town Council

0

0

0

€0

Thurles Town Council

705,333

600,000

173,990

€105,333

Tipperary Town Council

10,382

5,190

428,567

€5,192

Tralee Town Council

400,668

218,688

282,728

€181,980

Trim Town Council

193,191

120,000

0

€73,191

Tullamore Town Council

120,516

50,000

4,510

€70,516

Westport Town Council

633,323

450,867

0

€182,456

Wicklow Town Council

938,702

231,548

0

€707,154

Youghal Town Council

355,280

187,525

0

€167,755

Total

292,103,110

221,331,484

220,970,631

€70,716,671

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