Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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99. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the Property Price Register, administered by the Property Services Regulatory Authority, listing of prices includes or excludes VAT; her plans to define whether final prices should all be either including or excluding VAT for this register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3378/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) was formally established on 3 April 2012, pursuant to the Property Services (Regulation) Act, 2011. The Residential Property Price Register, available at www.propertypriceregister.ie, is produced by the PSRA in accordance with the provisions of Section 86 of the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011. The purpose of the Register is to bring transparency to house prices in Ireland. The Register is a list of property prices and it is not a "property price index". The details made available on the register are limited to price, address and date of sale and do not include such details as property size or number of rooms. It is simply designed to provide, on an ongoing basis, accurate prices of residential properties purchased at a particular date.

The Register contains information on residential properties purchased in Ireland since 1 January 2010, as declared to the Revenue Commissioners for stamp duty purposes, and forwarded by the Revenue Commissioners to the PSRA for publication. I am informed that VAT at 13.5% is only chargeable on new properties, it is not charged on second hand properties. Stamp duty in respect of new properties is paid on the property price exclusive of VAT. Accordingly, the prices given to the PSRA by the Revenue Commissioners for new properties are VAT exclusive. The Information Note on the first page of the Residential Property Price Register clearly states that if the property is a new property, the price shown is exclusive of VAT at 13.5%.

From the foregoing, it should be clear that the position currently is that all prices on the Property Price Register are VAT exclusive. In other words, the prices quoted on the Register exclude the 13.5% VAT applicable in respect of new properties. As indicated above, VAT is not payable in respect of second hand properties. I understand that there are no plans to alter this at this time, but that the PSRA plans to review the explanatory text on the property price register website with a view to enhancing its clarity for the general public.