Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The collection of the Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance. Local authorities do not have a role.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 278, 279 and 280 together.

Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in their functional areas. My Department issued Circular Letter PL 02/2023 on 15 March 2023 requesting the submission of returns on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act in 2022 by end of Q1 2023. In addition, my Department recently issued Circular Letter PL 10/2023 requesting authorities provide an updated data return in respect of 2022, the returns to which are expected shortly.

The table below contains the information requested regarding the operation of the derelict sites levy, as per the returns to Circular Letter PL 02/2023 from local authorities relating to the year 2022.

Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible.My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis.

However, granular data, in terms of the detailed breakdown of the numbers and grades of staff allocated to specific work areas within local authorities is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from the local authorities concerned.

2022

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended by the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011, provides the legislative basis for the non-principal private residence (NPPR) charge. The NPPR charge, which has since been discontinued, applied from 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The self-assessed charge was set at €200 per annum.

2013 was the last year in which a NPPR liability could be incurred. However, outstanding NPPR liabilities and payments remain payable to the relevant local authority.

NPPR charges, including late payment fees, expire 12 years from the date of liability. This means that for NPPR liabilities incurred from 2009 to 2013 and remaining unpaid, the portion of the liability and charge on a property which related to 2009 expired in 2021, the 2010 portion expired in 2022 and so on until the liability and charge on a property relating to the final year of NPPR in 2013, expires after 31 March 2025.

The amount of NPPR revenue collected in each local authority in 2022 is set out in the table below. The information is supplied by the Local Government Management Agency.