Results 15,361-15,380 of 34,664 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: I think after the previous election it moved to the Department of Justice and Equality. It surprised me this morning to learn the Valuation Office is now under the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, but it is of no significance.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: That is fine. It is simply that I was not aware of it. That is all. There is no issue. It is simply by way of information. I call the Comptroller and Auditor General to make his opening statement.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: I thank Mr. O'Sullivan. The lead speaker today is Deputy Cassells, who will have 20 minutes, followed by Deputy Connolly, who will have 15 minutes, and all other members will have ten minutes. Members have indicated in the following sequence: Deputies Catherine Murphy, Burke and Cullinane.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: Before I call Deputy Connolly, I ask Mr. Lemass to elaborate on one comment he made. He said that generally when the office goes to a county under the revaluation process, there is no increase in the overall rates bill for that rating authority. I interpret that to mean there will be winners and losers. However, in a county where the population, business activity and number of businesses...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: So it is not based on value? Is the revaluation based on the rates take with the amount in euro or does the valuation change?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: Which changes - the valuation or the rate struck by the council - to achieve that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: That is a big change.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: Is there a separate statutory instrument for each local authority before the Valuation Office can commence?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: Will Mr. O'Sullivan forward to the committee a list of the dates they issued in respect of the revaluations done to date or currently under way? If there is a statutory instrument for each local authority, it would be useful to have the schedule.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: On 30 September 2017.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: The next speaker is Deputy Catherine Murphy who will be followed by Deputy Burke and Deputy Cullinane.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: Before we proceed, it sounds as if the Valuation Office is not able to do its job in a timely manner. The local authorities will be given the power to move quickly, which will allow the Valuation Office to drag its feet as it will take the view that there is no loss to the local authority because it has done the job. It would be far more effective to have one agency doing the job properly,...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: I assume the new power will be put before the Dáil and that it will not be for the Committee of Public Accounts to make a decision on the matter.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: At the risk of upsetting some people, if the Valuation Office receives a request such as the one it received from Carlow-Kilkenny and is unable to do the job, should it not be done by a regional or provincial panel of pre-approved valuers who have tendered for the positions? We do not need to have legislation passed to allow a local authority to value a property. We need to work the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: The rate can only be levied from the date on which the final decision is made.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: There may be a non-legislative way of dealing with it in the public service by getting someone to do it on behalf of the Valuation Office if it is too busy to do so. I suggest that would be a simpler approach to take

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: I want to ask a few questions to follow up on the issue. On the exact point made, Mr. O'Sullivan said about 4% of the 1,200 cases were appealed and that 70% to 80%, or three quarters, do not proceed to a hearing. Therefore, one quarter of the 4% go to a hearing. Therefore, 1% end up in a hearing. I believe I saw a figure today indicating the cases proceeding to appeals represented a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: Mr. O'Sullivan does not explain it properly.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: The briefing note Mr. O'Sullivan gave us states that, regarding the cases that go to a hearing, the outcome varies from case to case. It states further recent analysis of the appeals tribunal was conducted resulting from the revaluations for Waterford and Limerick and that the analysis reveals the cases determined by the tribunal had, up to that point, resulted in overall reductions of 0.44%...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 11: National Property Revaluation Programme (25 Jan 2018)

Seán Fleming: That is a disingenuous figure, if Mr. O'Sullivan does not mind my saying so. Given that only 1%, or one in 100, went to a hearing, and there was a reduction of 0.4%, it means there is a massive reduction concerning each of those that went. Mr. O'Sullivan compared the number that proceeded to an appeal with the 99 that did not. That is not relevant. I am interested in the cases that went...