Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 471: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons that are paying the non principal private residence charge who own one house only. [34910/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, broadened the revenue base of local authorities through the introduction of the charge on non-principal private residences (NPPR). The charge is set at €200 and is being levied and collected by local authorities. The Act places the onus on an owner of a residential property which is situated in the State to assess his or her liability for the charge in the first instance.

The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, exempts certain types of property and owners from the charge. The most important exemption under the Act is for a person's sole or main residence. However, any one individual can have only one such residence. Where a property is not occupied by the owner, it falls liable for the levy, even if it is the only property that person owns.

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) administers the NPPR charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. The LGMA does not have the details of ownership sought in the Question.