Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 881: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of applications made by local authorities to him in each of the past five years for his consent to the making of a scheme under the Local Government (Rates) Act 1970 for the waiver of commercial rates by that authority; the number of consents to such schemes currently in place; the criteria applied by him in deciding whether to give his consent; his views on whether rates waiver schemes have any role to play in assisting vulnerable businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11792/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Within the last five years, one application for consent to a rate waiver scheme was received by my Department in each of the years 2007 and 2008. There are two rate waiver schemes that have received Ministerial approval under the provisions of the Local Government (Rates) Act 1970 currently in place. These consents were given in 1988 and 1990 for voluntary and community sporting facilities not licensed for the sale of alcohol. Such community halls are now not rateable under the Valuation Act 2001.

Applications for rate waiver schemes are carefully considered by me and criteria used to evaluate proposals include their impact on competition with existing businesses in the area and the cost to the remaining ratepayers who are required to make up the cost of the rate waiver scheme through the payment of additional rates.