Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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278. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he or local authorities have the power to apply a discount to commercial rates in cases in which businesses have been adversely affected by roadworks resulting in reduced trade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42625/19]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Local authorities are required by legislation 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 Acts 2001 to 2015. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority.

The annual rate on valuation (ARV) is decided by the elected members of each local authority in the annual budget and its determination is a reserved function. The ARV is applied to the valuation for each property determined by the Valuation Office to obtain the amount payable in rates.

Local authorities also work closely with ratepayers experiencing difficulties with the payment of commercial rates. In this regard, local authorities may facilitate the payment of commercial rates by instalments, and work with businesses to put in place flexible payment options.

The Local Government Rates and Other Matters Act 2019, enacted earlier this year, modernises the legislation governing commercial rates. The Act will further facilitate such flexible approaches, provided ratepayers engage with the local authority concerned. Importantly, the act also provides for new rates vacancy abatement and rates alleviation schemes, to be decided by local authority members in order to promote national and/or local policy objectives. My Department is currently preparing supporting regulations and working with local authorities on implementation with a view to commencing these provisions. These new provisions will add to the suite of options already available to local authorities to support local businesses and ratepayers.