Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of planning charges that have not been collected by each local authority in view of the published figures demonstrating the debt owed by each local authority in loans at the end of 2008; the efforts that are being made to collect those outstanding charges; if he can distinguish between charges owed for one-off housing separate and for other developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32366/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I understand that the Question refers to development contributions payable to planning authorities under the Planning and Development Act 2000.

As Minister, my role is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted by each planning authority.

Section 48 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 provides that planning authorities may levy development contributions in respect of public infrastructure and facilities provided by, or on behalf of, the local authority that benefit development in the area. Development contribution schemes are drawn up by each planning authority and approved by the elected members following a public consultation process. It is a matter for the members of the planning authority to determine the level of contribution and the types of development to which they will apply.

Details of individual development contribution schemes are available directly from each planning authority. Each planning authority is also required to include details of contributions received and contributions owing to it, together with information on how the contributions have been expended, in the statutory annual report of the authority. The collection of any outstanding development contributions is a matter for each planning authority. Where any payments required in respect of development contributions are not settled, such payments may be pursued by the planning authority through the courts as a contract debt.