Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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471. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider the potential to apply reductions or waivers from planning application fees or rates to protected structures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49339/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department’s Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Development Contributions state that waivers from development contributions should be given in respect of works on protected structures where such works substantially contribute to the restoration or protection of the protected structure. I would not therefore propose to reduce the planning application fee in respect of works to a protected structure. As regards commercial rates, local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation of each property, determined by the Valuation Office, to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority in the annual budget and its determination is a reserved function.