James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this important Bill and congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, on its introduction to the House. The Bill has been debated by many Deputies and local authorities throughout the country. I have a particular interest in certain aspects of the Bill.

I was pleased to see that a number of amendments dear to my heart were included by our colleagues in the Seanad. There are a number of aspects of the Bill which I welcome. This legislation will create a much fairer playing field for town centres and out-of-town retailers. Walking down the main street of Longford town, it would be clear to anyone that business is being affected by retail parks on the outskirts of town, excessive car parking charges and reduced consumer spending. Town centres have consistently suffered over recent years and a great deal of work needs to be done if they are to survive. For a number of years I have being calling on some form of Government strategy to be brought forward that would support business growth and job creation in our town centres.

We have the report from the commission for the economic development of rural areas, which was prepared by Mr. Pat Spillane and launched with great publicity by the Taoiseach in Castlebar last year. We need a decent allocation of funding to implement the recommendations of the report. I know that approximately €1 million was allocated in the 2015 budget for the establishment of a rural innovation development fund to support ideas on a pilot basis under this report. This legislation is a small step in that direction but we must do much more to bring town centres to a certain standard.

This Bill seeks to address the inequality that exists between town centres and out-of-town developments. Under the current system, commercial rates are not charged on the provision of out-of-town retail car parks. As a result of this, there is absolutely no incentive for retail parks to charge for these parking spaces. This legislation will seek to address this issue by applying a rate on the retailers. This rate is to be based on the revenue that would be generated by the space of the same parking charges in any nearby urban area. The benefit of this approach is clear, and local authorities will receive extra revenue while at the same time allowing large corporate retailers to make a contribution to the local economy. It is also a wise move to ensure that parking spaces for customers will be taken into account when valuing a shop or retail outlet. All of these provisions will work towards levelling the playing field between our town centres and the large out-of-town retail parks.

Another important aspect of this Bill involves sports clubs. We can all outline the valuable role sports clubs and sport play in our local communities and this Bill introduces a new exemption for community sports facilities. The first part of the exemption replicates the current interpretation of the "community hall" exemption. Essentially, if the sports club does not have a bar, all of its premises would be exempt from rates. The second part of the exemption is for sports clubs that have bar facilities. As it stands, if a sports club has a bar, all of its premises is valued for rates purposes, including buildings that are solely for a sporting use. This is very unfair and many sports clubs, particularly in rural Ireland, have been hit hard as a result. The amending Bill being put forward today will ensure that the parts of a sports club which generate income, such as the bar, will be liable for rates, and not the entire premises. This is a common-sense approach and it should have been implemented long ago.

Yesterday, I spoke in this House on the Private Members' motion regarding child care services and I am very pleased to see there is provision in this Bill to exempt premises used for non-profit early childhood care and education. However, I strongly feel that some exemption should be provided for privately run child care facilities, which amount to approximately 70% of the total number of facilities. If this is enacted, it will essentially mean that organisations that provide child care for charitable purposes will be exempt from rates. As the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, has pointed out, this amendment will exempt up to 1,000 charitable child care providers from liability for commercial rates.

This Bill is proportionate and necessary legislation. It improves the current standing of sports clubs, child care facilities and town centres, so I commend the Minister of State on his initiative and ability to steer this legislation through both Houses.

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