Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will move on to my questions on mica because I am conscious others are pressed for time but the point I am making is that 20 counties have benefitted from the equalisation fund. There could be higher local property charges for residents in those counties due to the revaluation, yet the local authority will be no better off, especially since many of those counties substantially rely on the equalisation fund, which will be reduced. That is the core point. It is where the role of the Minister for Finance comes into it because he does have a say on how much money he will provide from the equalisation fund.

The Minister may want to comment on that but I will ask a number of questions on mica. As he knows, this issue affects my county substantially and it is heartbreaking. Mica and pyrite issues also affect counties Mayo, Sligo, Clare and a number of other counties. I will ask a few questions on this issue. How long will these properties be exempt from the LPT? Will properties with mica in County Donegal, for example, whose owners have previously paid the LPT, be rebated for that charge? How do they qualify for this exemption? As the Minister knows, the upfront cost for an engineer's report on mica properties is approximately €6,000. Most homeowners in Donegal cannot afford this and it is one of the reasons thousands upon thousands of people came to the streets of Dublin to protest at the scheme and its unaffordability. This was a core point for them. Does the Minister expect somebody to fork out €6,000 for an engineer's report to be exempt from a €200 or €300 annual charge?