John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

As Minister, my role is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted by each local authority. The adoption of individual development contribution schemes is a reserved function of the locally elected members of each planning authority. It is a matter for the members to determine the level of contribution and the types of development to which they will apply.

Each planning authority also is required to include details of contributions received in that year, as well as information on how the contributions have been expended, in the statutory annual accounts of the authority. A new requirement was introduced for the financial year 2008 to include details in the annual financial statement of all accrued uncollected levies due to the planning authority. The 2008 statements will be the subject of a full audit by the local government audit service during the audit cycle 2009-10. My Department does not, therefore, have up-to-date information on the amount of development contributions due to planning authorities.

As with all local charges, the invoicing and collection of any outstanding development contributions is a matter for the local authority concerned to manage in the light of prevailing local circumstances and in accordance with normal accountancy procedures. Where any payments required in respect of development contributions are not settled, such payments may be pursued by the planning authority through the courts as a contract debt.

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