Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 298: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding an application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19920/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 broadened the revenue base of local authorities through the introduction of the charge on non-principal private residences. The charge is set at €200 and is being levied and collected by local authorities. The charge is levied on a fixed liability date in each calendar year and payment becomes due two months after that date. There is then a further month's grace period to pay the charge, giving a total of three months during which the charge may be paid before penalties for late payment commence. Given this length of time and the relatively modest nature of the charge, it is not considered that an instalment payment plan is merited in this case.

The Act places collection of the charge under the care and management of the relevant local authority, and interpretation and implementation of the legislation is a matter for the local authorities in the first instance. I have no plans to amend the payment arrangements with regard to the charge on non-principal private residences at present.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 299: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the non-principal private residence charge (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19921/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, which sets out the detail of the €200 charge on non-principal private residences, is premised on a universal liability for the charge in respect of residential property. It goes on to exempt certain properties and owners from the charge, the most significant exemption being where a property is occupied by the owner as his or her sole or main residence on the liability date.

In a case where a person owns a property in which he or she does not live and his or her sole or main residence is a rented property, there would be a liability for the charge in respect of the property owned by the person unless it is otherwise exempt under the provisions of the Act. The Act does not seek to differentiate between such residences left vacant by the owner or made available for rent as the case may be.