Vol. 396 No. 4
17 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment if he will outline the increased rates charged by (a) Tipperary Urban District Council, (b) Cashel Urban District Council, (c) Carrick-on-Suir Urban District Council and (d) Clonmel Corporation, County Tipperary, arising from increased rateable valuations in 1989; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Annual changes in rateable valuations, which can include decreases as well as increases, are notified directly by the Valuation Office to the local authority concerned. Detailed information on such variations or on amounts of rates attributable to particular variations are not available in my Department. Information on the total amount of rates leviable in respect of each year by each local authority is published annually by my Department; that information in respect of 1989 is included in the publication Local Authority Estimates 1989, a copy of which is available in the Dáil Library.
I am disappointed that the Minister does not have the information I requested. There is widespread concern that some of the rateable valuations have been doubled. If the Minister does not have the information now perhaps he would make it available to me at a later date. There is widespread concern about what has happened with rateable valuations particularly in County Tipperary.
The details of the various elements which affect the valuations in any particular locations are entirely between the local authority concerned and the individual ratepayers who might be affected. I recognise that the Deputy is referring specifically to Tipperary town.
I am not as I have listed Carrick-on-Suir and Cashel councils as well as Clonmel Corporation. I am a member of two authorities.
Whatever applies to Tipperary town applies to every other town in the country. I take it that the Deputy's problem was that most of the commercial valuations were listed for revision by the urban district council. If there is dissatisfaction with the revision of the rateable valuations that have taken place there or anywhere else, the owner or the occupier of the property can appeal to the Commissioner of Valuations and if he is still dissatisfied, the matter can be appealed to the Valuation Tribunal but, of course, there are time limits on those appeals.
I am aware of the procedure to be adopted as a member of a local authority and, indeed, through discussions with chambers of commerce and other people. I am not requesting that information from the Minister. I am asking him to outline the increased rates that were charged by the various authorities. He has admitted that this information is not available to him. All I am asking is that when it is available he will communicate with me.
It will not be available at all for the simple reason that the striking and levying of local rates is a function vested in the local authorities and are not subject to ministerial control or approval. The Deputy is the very one who would wish it that way and we do not wish to interfere in the matter. The Commissioner of Valuation, as the Deputy is aware, is responsible for valuing properties. As a member of a local authority the Deputy determines at estimates time the rates to be levied on commercial properties. Why would the Deputy seek this information from me when he himself participated in this mechanism?
I am calling Question No. 18.
I participate in two local authorities and I need this information in my constituency. I had hoped the Minister would be forthcoming.
No, I have stated that the information is not available in the Department and I am not going to request the Department to compile it. It would be a very onerous and expensive task and would serve no useful purpose at this time.
I will have to seek this information from the individual authorities of which I am not a member and I will tell the Minister when I get the information.
May I tell the Minister that Tipperary Urban Council requested a revision of the valuations? In what year was that request made to the Minister?
I am not clear when that request was made.
If he asked me I could tell him.
They were increased two years ago as a result of the commercial valuations being listed for revision by the council.
I wonder who was chairman then.
I knew I should have stayed out of this.
I call Question No. 18. It is slightly after the time but as I had called the question I should like it to be answered.
