Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 June 2018
584. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of unfinished developments that were exempt from local property tax, LPT, in 2013; the number that are now liable for LPT; if an audit by county of these developments has been undertaken since 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26485/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLead policy responsibility in relation to Local Property Tax is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.
However, section 10 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 provided that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government may prescribe a list of unfinished housing developments to which an exemption from the local property tax applies. 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.
Only developments (and parts of 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 the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. These Regulations applied to 421 developments, or approximately 5,100 homes, which remain exempt from LPT.
In February 2018, my Department published the 2017 Annual Progress Report on Unfinished Housing Developments, which are regarded as developments not substantially complete in the context of the scope of works envisaged under the relevant planning permission. The report is available on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/unfinished_housing_developments_-_2017_annual_progress_report_0.pdf.
As outlined in that report, the number of unfinished housing developments has reduced by 91% from around 3,000 developments in 2010 to 256 developments in 2017. In addition, the report shows that 74% of Local Authority areas now contain less than 10 unfinished developments, with four local authority areas having no occupied unfinished developments.
The number of developments, and dwellings deemed as 'unfinished', was recorded as part of the 2017 National Housing Developments Survey and figures at a county level are available at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/initiative_to_accelerate_taking_in_charge_of_residential_estates_-_initial_list_0.pdf.
I expect that the number of developments to be taken in charge will further reduce over time and I will shortly be publishing updated figures, alongside the report on the National Taking in Charge Initiative (NTICI), which will include findings and recommendations from the NTICI process.
