Written Answers. - Parliamentary Debates - Houses of the Oireachtas

Questions— 14 February 2012. Written Answers
Under the legislation, an owner of a residential property on the liability date of 1 January 2012
is liable to pay the household charge by 31 March 2012, unless otherwise exempted or entitled
to claim a waiver. Revenues from the household charge will support the provision of local
services. Internationally, local services are administered by local authorities and financed by
local service charges. In Ireland, local authorities are responsible for, among other services,
public parks; libraries; open spaces and leisure amenities; planning and development; fire and
emergency services; maintenance and cleaning of streets and street lighting. These facilities
benefit everyone.
431. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local
Government the reason the household tax database was not put out to tender in accordance
with departmental procedures. [7840/12]
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan):
The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is administering the household charge
system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. The householdcharge.ie
website is a modification of the website that is being used for the charge on non-principal
private residences charge (NPPR). The NPPR website was procured through e-tenders.ie. The
LGMA own the intellectual property for the purposes of the NPPR website and this was used
in the context of the household charge website.
Planning Issues
432. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and
Local Government if the conditions of an An Bord Pleanála planning decision are not met and
the development is in the hands of a liquidator, on whom does the local planning enforcement
office enforce the conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7843/12]
433. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and
Local Government if the conditions of an An Bord Pleanála planning decision are not met and
the development is in the hands of a receiver, on whom does the local planning enforcement
office enforce the conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7844/12]
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan): I
propose to take Questions Nos. 432 and 433 together.
The developer of, for example, a residential estate is statutorily required to complete the
development in accordance with the terms of the planning permission. A development which
has not been completed in accordance with the planning permission is unauthorised development.
Enforcement of planning control is a matter for the planning authority, which can take
action where a development requiring planning permission has not obtained this permission or
where permission has not been complied with.
Planning authorities have substantial enforcement powers under the Planning and Development
Act 2000. A planning authority may issue an enforcement notice, non-compliance with
which is an offence, in connection with unauthorised development (which includes failure to
comply with planning conditions) requiring such steps as the authority considers necessary to
be taken within a specified period. If an enforcement notice is not complied with the planning
authority may itself take the specified steps and recover the expense incurred in doing so. A
planning authority may also seek a court order requiring any particular action to be taken or
not to be taken. The Planning Acts also place clear statutory obligations on planning authorities
in relation to unauthorised development.
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