Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when the Valuations Office will publish the results or a summary of its countywide valuations that it has undertaken in counties Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and if her attention has been drawn to reported instances in which businesses in these counties have received valuations that would have the effect of substantially increasing their commercial rates bill. [4233/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the exercise of his functions under the Valuation Acts 2001-2015 and the making of valuations for rating purposes is his sole responsibility. I, as Minister for Justice and Equality, have no function in decisions in this regard. Having a modern valuation base, which takes account of contemporary rents and current market circumstances, is very important for the levying of business rates on a fair and equitable basis. This has been the policy of successive Governments for many years and is the express purpose of the National Revaluation Programme being rolled out by the Valuation Office. The current phase of this programme is known as "REVAL 2017" and covers the revaluation of all rateable properties in Counties Longford, Leitrim, Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, Kildare, Sligo, Carlow and Kilkenny, where a revaluation is being undertaken for the first time since the nineteenth century. It also includes the second revaluation of South Dublin Country Council. The revaluation in these counties will be completed in September 2017 and will become effective for rating purposes from 2018 onwards.

While the current phase of revaluation is a work in progress, the first significant milestone was reached this month with the issue of certificates of proposed valuation on 12 January 2017 to all ratepayers in counties Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath. Similarly, certificates of proposed valuation issued to all ratepayers in County Leitrim on 19 January 2017. As regards the revaluation in the five remaining counties - Kildare, Offaly, Sligo, Carlow and Kilkenny - of the current phase, I am advised that work has reached an advanced stage and proposed valuation certificates will issue to ratepayers in those counties during March 2017. In the case of the second revaluation of South Dublin, which is running in parallel to the revaluation in the nine rural counties, proposed valuation certificates are expected to issue in April 2017.

I understand that, as part of its regular engagement with ratepayers during a revaluation, the Valuation Office has put arrangements in place to assist ratepayers who may have a concern in relation to the valuation that has been placed on their property. This includes a telephone helpline and detailed information is also available on the Valuation Office's website, www.valoff.ie. Arrangements have also been put in place to run an advertising campaign in the local press and on local radio to inform ratepayers of walk-in clinics that have been arranged in the County Council offices in counties Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath. Similar information campaigns will be undertaken when the certificate of proposed valuation is being issued to ratepayers in the other counties included in this phase of the revaluation programme.

I am advised by the Valuation Office that in some instances the valuation of certain properties would have increased to some degree, this would be due to the individual circumstances of the properties concerned. The experience of the most recent revaluations conducted to date in other local authority areas by the Valuation Office has indicated that about 60% of ratepayers had the valuation of their property reduced and about 40% had an increase, a pattern which is expected to be replicated when the final certificates of valuation, under the current phase of the programme, are issued in September 2017.

There is an extensive system of redress available to those ratepayers who are dissatisfied with the proposed valuations or with any particular on the certificate relating to their property. In this regard, a dissatisfied person can make representations to the Valuation Office within 40 days of the date of issue of the certificate. The Valuation Office will consider the representations and may or may not change the proposed valuation depending on the circumstances of each individual property.

A certificate of final valuation will issue to each ratepayer in September 2017 and the valuation shown on the certificate will be used as the basis for the assessment of rates by the local authority with effect from 1 January 2018. It is important to note that if a ratepayer is still dissatisfied with the valuation on the final certificate, they have a right to lodge a formal appeal with the Valuation Tribunal, which is an independent statutory tribunal established for the purpose of hearing appeals against decisions of the Commissioner of Valuation.