John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that people must pay a fee of approximately €37.18 for an OSI 1:1000 site location map; his plans to ensure that this fee is no longer payable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14303/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The matter raised by the Deputy was referred to Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSI, which has statutory responsibility for the provision of a national mapping service in the State under the Ordnance Survey Ireland Act 2001. Under section 29 of the Act, OSI may make such charges as it considers necessary and appropriate in consideration of the performance by it of its functions; the provision by it of any service and the carrying on by it of any activities.

In the context of the current year revenues which OSI anticipates from its commercial activities, and the total costs incurred by the organisation in the exercise of its statutory functions, there is an expected cost recovery rate of 75% approximately. The mapping product referred to by the Deputy is in respect of urban mapping which is revised by OSI on an annual basis and maintained in a digital format using the latest mapping technologies.

Having regard to the costs associated with building and land development generally, the charges in respect of mapping information supplied by OSI represents in relative terms, a small proportion of the overall costs. Between January 2003 and the present date, the mapping product referred to by the Deputy increased in price by €2.37 to its present cost of €37.18, or an annual average increase of around 2.2%.