Debate contribution: Uncollected Rates
Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on .
- MLA
- Mr John O'Dowd
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 16 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Uncollected Rates
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5010583
Read the official Assembly record
Text
With the Speaker's permission, I will answer questions 5 and 15 together, and I request an additional minute to respond. In the 2024-25 rating year, a record-breaking £1·6 billion was collected directly from ratepayers, the largest amount ever collected in a single rating year, providing much-needed funding for our public services. That was achieved despite a difficult financial climate following the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living/doing business crises. At the close of the 2024-25 rating year, £180·9 million in rates remained due for payment. That represents a 0·2% increase compared with the previous year's figure. However, that slight increase must be viewed in the context of the overall value of collectable rates having risen by 6% in 2024-25. The £180·9 million is a cumulative figure of rates carried forward from previous years. It comprises £84·9 million from 2024-25 and £96 million from earlier years that included the pandemic period. It is worth highlighting that the £180·5 million in rates carried forward into 2024-25 was reduced by 47%, down to £96 million, through ongoing billing and collection activities — a significant achievement. Land and Property Services (LPS) remains committed to collecting unpaid rates and continues to take proactive steps to do so. The ongoing billing, collection and recovery processes are designed to maximise rate collection. To maximise rate collection, LPS will make arrangements with ratepayers that will mean that not all rates are collected within a single rating year due to payment arrangements extending into future years. For persistent non-payment, however, LPS will pursue legal recovery actions. I urge any ratepayers having trouble in paying their bill to contact LPS as soon as possible. Payment arrangements can be made for historical unpaid rates, and LPS can assist by offering direct referrals to support services such as Make the Call and Advice NI's debt management service.
304 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.01 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.60 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:51 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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