Seven Days

A glance at the week that was

The numbers

1,001,083 - The record number of visitors to Dublin Zoo in 2011.

85 - The percentage of Irish centenarians that are women

9 - The number of days Sinead O’Connor’s split with her fourth husband, Barry Herridge, lasted, following a 16-day marriage.

11.59m - The number of viewers who watched the Downton Abbey Christmas special (left), eclipsing EastEnders’ audience.

55 - The number of workplace deaths in Ireland last year, a 15 per cent increase from 2010.

62 - The percentage of workers who fail to use all their annual leave days each year, according to a Hotels.com survey.

‘An iPad passport? OK, let me just stamp that’

A Canadian man claims he successfully crossed the border into the US using a scan of his passport stored on an iPad. Martin Reisch, of Montreal, realised he forgot his passport near the border and told the official on duty that he was simply delivering Christmas presents to Vermont.

“I thought I’d at least give it a try,” Reisch was quoted as saying. “He took the iPad into the little border hut . . . When he came back, he took a good long pause before wishing me a Merry Christmas.”

We now know

* Singer Youssou N’Dour has announced he will stand in Senegal’s presidential election next month.

* UK scientists have discovered a new crab species they have dubbed “The Hoff” for its hairy chest.

* An Irish marine weather buoy has been found on a beach in Devon three weeks after it went missing.

Next week you need to know about . . . The BT Young Scientist Exhibition

ON WEDNESDAY, the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition will showcase innovation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths.

The event, now in its 48th year, is one of the largest and longest-running science exhibitions of school students in Europe, with 550 finalists competing for more than 100 prizes at junior, intermediate and senior levels.

Drawing around 40,000 visitors to the RDS in Dublin over three days, it represents the final stage of a nationwide competition that received a record number of entries this year: 1,743 ideas submitted by 3,842 students from 354 schools.

Next week’s exhibits will include research into artificial soil, a self-sanitising handle, a solar-powered water filter for use in Third World countries, the perfect rugby place-kick technique, and whether redheads feel more pain.

Among those attending will be 12-year-old Harry Moran from Cork, acknowledged by Apple as the world’s youngest Mac app developer, whose videogame PizzaBot outsold Angry Birds and Call of Duty to top the Mac app charts last November.

Last year’s winner, Alexander Amini, was later awarded first prize in engineering at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Helsinki, a feat managed by 13 Irish contestants over the past 23 years.

Patrick Collison from Limerick, a winner in 2005 for his programming language Croma, went on to sell his first company, Auctomatic, for $5 million in 2008 and now runs a Silicon Valley start-up with his younger brother John. See btyoungscientist.com – CIAN TRAYNOR

Give me a crash course in . . . the household charge

So, what is the household charge?It is an annual charge of €100 which the owner of a property must pay by March 31st each year, starting this year. The Government is using the revenue it raises from the charge to support the provision of local services, including public parks, maintenance and cleaning of streets, and fire and emergency services, among other uses.

When is the charge due?This year's charge became active from January 1st and you have until March 31st to pay. Alternatively you can pay it in four instalments of €25, in March, May, July and September.

Do I have to pay it?As the owner of a house you have to pay the charge, and this is separate from the €200 charge brought in previously for owners of second and subsequent homes. However, if you are a tenant in a rented house, then you do not have to pay the charge. Only the owner is liable.

Those exempt from paying the charge this year also include anyone who bought a house after January 1st in the year the charge is due; those who have had to leave their home due to mental or physical illness; persons in receipt of social housing or those in voluntary or cooperative housing. Properties owned by the Government and the HSE or a charity are also exempt.

Anyone in receipt of the Mortgage Interest Supplement will also not have to pay and anyone living in a ghost estate as defined by the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan will also be exempt. A list of unfinished estates has been defined by the Minister and is available on the household charge website, householdcharge.ie. Also, if you live in a mobile home, then you are not liable for the charge.

Sod it, what happens if I don't pay?If you don't pay by March 31st, then penalties will apply. The Government has been at pains to stress it will gather information from a variety of sources on those who have and haven't paid. Payments made from April 1st to June 30th will incur a 10 per cent fine plus 1 per cent interest per month, making the total due by May €115. Payments made from July 1st to December 31st incur a 20 per cent penalty along with interest per month, making the total due by October €130. Any payments more than 12 months late will incur a €30 penalty plus 1 per cent interest per month. So, if you decide to defer payment for a year, you will have to pay €142. After that, other fines and sanctions can be applied.

Okay, okay, we get the message, how do I cough up?The easiest way to pay is to register on householdcharge.ie, and with a credit or debit card sign up for a direct debit and pay that way. There's also a registration form available for download on the site, which allows you to pay by cheque, draft or postal order. If you don't own a credit card, then the best way is to send the registration form to Household Charge, PO Box 121168, Dublin 1. Alternatively, your local authority office will accept cash and forward it on to the central office along with a completed registration form. – BRIAN O'CONNELL

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