Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
Mr Wilson: In 2010/11 the total nett value of exchange rate gains on EU Structural Funds’
Programmes was £ 1,399,929.65. Nett gains are returned to the Centre as a Reduced Requirement.
Tickets for the Jubilee Garden Party
Mr Allister asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many tickets for the Jubilee Garden Party
on 27 June 2012 were allocated to (i) the Minister; (ii) his Department; and (iii) its arm’s-length bodies.
(AQW 13118/11-15)
Mr Wilson: I did not receive any tickets as Minister for Finance and Personnel for the Jubilee Garden
Party on 27 June 2012. 150 tickets were allocated to the Department and its arm’s length bodies.
Legal Fees in Relation to Rates’ Debt Collection
Mr D Bradley asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how much his Department has spent on
legal fees in relation to Rates’ debt collection.
(AQW 13125/11-15)
Mr Wilson: If a ratepayer has not paid their rate bill, or made contact with LPS to agree a payment
arrangement after the issue of a bill and a final demand, LPS has little option but to take forward Court
proceedings to recover the money owing.
LPS is obliged to pay fees to the NI Courts & Tribunals Service for the different stages of the legal
proceedings, including for issue of a Court Process, the granting of a Court Decree, the issue of a
Notice of Intention to Enforce Debt, and Enforcement Fees. These charges are added to ratepayers’
bills, and therefore become part of the recoverable amount.
Payments are made to the Courts & Tribunals Service by LPS at the time that the actions are taken
and are then recovered from ratepayers in due course. Given the daily movements in individual rate
accounts, and the time differences in payment to the Courts and recovery of the money, it is not
possible to provide an accurate figure for the net (unrecovered) legal costs in any period. The figures in
the table below are therefore the total figures paid by LPS to the Courts & Tribunals Service.
year Payment by LPS to Courts & Tribunals Service
2010/11 £2,654,959.75
2011/12 £3,216,079.30
In addition, LPS also incurs professional legal costs in relation to cases pursued through the High
Court Chancery Division. The figures in the table below are therefore the total figures paid by LPS to
Crown Solicitor’s Office in relation to such cases.
year Payment by LPS to Crown Solicitor’s Office
2010/11 £254,775.94
2011/12 £344,092.38
LPS also incurs additional staff costs in pursuing recovery of unpaid rates. These costs form part of
the cost of rate collection and are therefore paid from the district and regional rates – in effect, by all
ratepayers.
I would stress that no recovery costs would exist if all ratepayers paid their rates in a timely manner, or
if in difficulty contacted LPS to agree a payment arrangement.
WA 544