Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to the House. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this matter which concerns the payment of the household services charge. The main question I am asked by people who approach me on it is how they can make the payment. I hear two points from constituents. First, there is still confusion among many people as to whether they need to pay the charge. Second, the overwhelming majority of people who want to pay the charge are unsure about how to make the payment, which makes it more difficult for them than should be the case.

I have three suggestions to put to the Minister on this matter. In the legislation passed to set up this process I understand it was designated that each local authority had to have one office at which people could make the payment. For Dublin City Council that means that if people who do not have access to the Internet want to make the payment in person they must go all the way to Civic Offices in Wood Quay passing many city council offices on the way at which they cannot make the payment. I ask the Minister to find a way in whereby any local authority office can receive and process the payment. Many local authorities have decentralised their offices and facilities into communities and people have to leave their communities to make the payments in the respective headquarters of the local authority.

If somebody wants to pay their ESB bill or waste charges, and a major difficulty has arisen regarding the rollout of a new waste charge system in the Dublin City Council area, they can make the payment in their local post office. If we can put such a system in place for the payment of a waste charge surely we should be able to put one in place for the payment of the household services charge. That would allow people make the payment in their local post office or equivalent.

The third point people have put to me is the possibility of having the payment deducted, with their consent, from a pension payment. I accept that would be possible only with consent but there is the possibility in the future of a fine being deducted from somebody's pension or income. If people make the decision to have the charge deducted from their income from the State, we should facilitate that.

I emphasise the importance of this issue. My experience is that this charge will be paid by the overwhelming majority of people but many of them, particularly those who do not have access to the Internet, are finding it more difficult than it should be to make the payment. Given the sensitivity around this charge we should change the system in place to make it simpler for people to make the payment.

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