Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004
387 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his estimate of the total revenue raised by local authorities from development levies in each year since 1997; and his best estimate of the increase in the rate of contribution as a result of the adoption in March 2004 of the regime of development contributions. [26581/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department collects statistics on the payment of development contributions on an annual basis. The following table sets out the development contributions collected by planning authorities between 1997 and 2002.
|
Year |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
1997-2002 |
|
Development Contributions (€ million) |
57.813 |
66.326 |
87.172 |
110.380 |
121.976 |
150.995 |
594.662 |
The amount of development contributions collected in 2003 is currently being compiled and will be available shortly. In addition to any increase in the contribution rate charged by local authorities, the total income generated reflects the significant rise in construction activity during this period, for example, housing output increased from 38,842 in 1997 to 57,695 in 2002.
My Department does not have estimates of any changes in the amount accruing to local authorities arising from the adoption in March 2004 of the new regime, due to the lead-in time between the grant of planning permission for a development and the start of construction. It should be noted that, in a number of cases, the local elected members who adopted the development contribution scheme introduced lower charges than those applying under the previous system. It is likely that the full impact of new development contribution schemes will not be measurable until 2006-07.
