Builders owe councils €132m in levies

ALMOST €132 million is owed to local authorities nationwide by builders in unpaid development contributions, the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard yesterday.

However, the secretary general at the Department of the Environment, Geraldine Tallon, told the committee that audits had shown that more than 80% of the outstanding debt was recoverable.

Appearing before the PAC yesterday, Ms Tallon said her department was satisfied that there was “a robust governance framework in place” to ensure development contributions were collected and spent in accordance with legislation.