Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House and am glad of the opportunity to speak about this Bill. Some questions have been raised regarding the electoral register used for the recent elections. The situation was a disgrace. A number of years ago when he was Minister, Deputy Dick Roche, spent a considerable sum of money nationally on compiling and updating the register but it has fallen back again. There is an opportunity here for local authorities to integrate this into a revenue-collecting mechanism and use it as a way of upgrading the local electoral register.

A number of issues were raised concerning the status of people who may live two or three days a week at home and three or four away in Dublin, Cork, Galway, or wherever. The Minister has not been clear and specific on this point in the Bill. He should spell it out.

What will be the position of derelict houses? There are a considerable number of these without sanitary facilities or electricity. Nobody lives in them but they are houses and are part and parcel of the fabric of rural Ireland. Before Committee Stage, I wish to know the position in respect of such houses. In many cases, they are and can be used as a tool to get planning permission for a house in a rural area. Nobody will demolish them overnight but we would like to know the situation. Severe fines are being put in place for the non-payment of the annual €200 and it is very important the Minister should spell out this matter.

Some counties will benefit enormously from the collection of these revenues and more will not. What will be the position regarding those counties that will not benefit so greatly? My own county, Mayo, will benefit by perhaps €4 or €4.5 million. Does this mean that the rate support grant as we know it, which has diminished over recent years, will decrease further to allow for the moneys collected by this charge? The Minister should tell the House. From my reading of the Bill and from the language used by the Minister, it would seem that will be the case because otherwise those counties that will not benefit will be at a disadvantage.

I am surprised about the mechanisms to be put in place for the collection of the charges.. Every local authority has revenue collectors who know their local areas. In some cases they collect water and refuse charges and commercial rates. There are local authorities that collect planning fees and enforce road closings. In many cases, the revenue collectors collect all these charges and the councils have all the data regarding planning permissions granted and those refused. Builders must issue commencement notices to local authorities when they start buildings and the local authorities have all the relevant information. I am amazed a local authority which has revenue collectors in local areas cannot provide a mechanism for collecting this money.

The Minister alluded to the directly elected mayor. It seems that in a very short space of time we will have a directly elected mayor for the greater Dublin region. There is now a newly elected lord mayor of Dublin and I am sure that mayor will stay in place for the next five years. However, judging by what the Minister said in the House today, the new directly elected mayor for the greater Dublin region will be a glorified mayor of the Dublin regional authority. We need further legislation on this matter as soon as possible.