Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will give the exact figures so that I am not inconsistent with the Deputy's information. The figures in the table of information we supplied on where increases will happen indicate that approximately 11% of homeowners will see a decrease, approximately 53% will see no change, approximately 33% will see an increase of one band, and approximately 3% will see an increase of two bands or more. The caveat we put on all the information is in that key word "approximately". This is very general guidance because we are looking to form an evaluation of around 1.7 million properties and each one of those properties has a different valuation.

On the general question the Deputy put to me about whether increases are likely to be concentrated within cities, if I look at what I expect to happen when the bills come out in November and at where I believe most properties that will not see an increase will be, I expect most of them to be within Dublin. This is because we have increased the bands and cut the rate by so much. It is actually within Dublin and, possibly, one or two other cities, where I expect a concentration of most of the homes that will not see an increase. Out of the one in three homes, provisionally and generally, that will see an increase, some will be in Dublin. However, for me to equate this to or be able to give the Deputy an absolute assurance that, for example, the majority of homes that will face an increase will be in Dublin, I do not have the information to be able to tell the Deputy, definitively or even generally, that will be the case.