Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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802. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the funding which will be given to local authorities in 2018 in lieu of the loss of commercial rates from Irish Water properties; and the funding given in 2016. [39840/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Section 12 of the Water Services Act 2014 states that public water services property is not rateable for the purposes of the Valuation Act 2001.  This exemption applies to Irish Water for the provision of water supply and waste water treatment.  Government provides equivalent funding directly to local authorities, through the Local Government Fund, in respect of rates income foregone.

Local authorities have been compensated to the amount of over €46m in 2016 in respect of rates income foregone in respect of Irish Water's infrastructure.  A breakdown of the amounts paid to local authorities in 2016 is set out in the following table.  A similar provision is being made available in 2017 and an equivalent provision is expected to be made available to local authorities in 2018, subject to the normal budgetary process.