COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 16, 2012

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor E. Higgins

To ask the County Manager how many homes in the County are a) exempt from the household charge and b) how many houses have paid it?  Could these figures be broken down by LEA?

REPLY:

The following are the categories which are  exempt from paying the Household Charge under the Local Government ( Charges )  Act 2011:

·  Residential properties that are part of the trading stock of a business and have not been sold or been the source of any income since construction,

·  Residential property vested in a Minister of the Government or the Health Service Executive,

·  Residential property vested in a housing authority, including property where households are purchasing their homes under the Shared Ownership Scheme and where the local authority still retains an ownership stake,

·  Voluntary and co-operative housing,

·  Residential property subject to commercial rates and wholly used as a dwelling,

·  Residential property owned by certain charities or comprised in a discretionary trust, and

 ·  Residential property where a person has to leave their house due to long-term mental or physical infirmity (e.g. a person that has moved into a nursing home). 

 The  number of houses which the Council is currently aware of being exempt is  10,135 i.e

No. of Social Housing Units                         9032

Affordable Houses in Social Leasing           148

Properties in Shared Ownership                    140

Voluntary Houses                                            815

 In relation to the number of houses which have paid, the Household Charge Bureau (under the aegis of the Local Government Management Agency) accepts and processes payments in respect of the Household Charge on behalf of Local Authorities in the country. The Council has been advised that while the Bureau is not in a position currently to supply data in respect of individual local authorities, it does expect to have this information available shortly.

However, the Bureau has advised that it may not be possible to provide an analysis by area within the Local Authority