Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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162. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on whether there is a conflict of interest between the statutory autonomy of the Valuation Tribunal and the financial control over the Tribunal by the Commissioner of Valuation, the accounting office of the Valuation Office, which is the respondent in all valuation appeals heard by the tribunal. [29289/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am not aware of the existence of any possible conflict of interest or of the perception of a conflict of interest between the statutory autonomy of the Valuation Tribunal and the financial control over the Tribunal by the Commissioner of Valuation.

While the Valuation Office is the respondent in all valuation appeals heard by the Tribunal, the Tribunal is independent of the Commissioner and consists of a chairperson, deputy chairpersons and ordinary members who are appointed by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in accordance with the provisions of the Valuation Act 2001.

The conduct of hearings, the appointment of members to the Tribunal and the issuing of judgments are all matters for which the chairperson of the Tribunal is responsible. The procedures of the Tribunal are determined by Rules made by it under the Valuation Act, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The administrative arrangements that support the work of the Tribunal are carried out by a Registrar and a small number (4) of support staff. Since the Tribunal was established in 1988, for administrative efficiency and value for money reasons, the Tribunal is funded as a subhead of the Vote of the Valuation Office and the Commissioner of Valuation is €693,000.00.

As part of the programme of rationalisation of state bodies the Government has decided that the Valuation Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Property Registration Authority are to be merged. The arrangements for the Valuation Tribunal will also be considered in this context.