Mr. John McCarthy:

Looking at the national rates cumulatively in 2009, the picture is that there was just under €1.5 billion for collection. In 2016, it was €1.615 billion, which, doing a quick bit of maths, is €120 million over those seven years or possibly between 6% and 7%. I cannot do the maths on the top of my head here.

A number of things need to be borne in mind. When the downturn came in 2008-2009, all local authorities were requested to maintain their annual rates on valuation, ARVs, pretty much flat, and for four to five years virtually all did. There are issues, certainly, that can arise in the context of a revaluation exercise, but it is important to remember as well that there is a process in place to protect ratepayers as a whole through which rate limitation orders are made, so that in any year in which a revaluation is undertaken, a local authority cannot gain in overall rates revenue.