Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not have that figure to hand here. I apologise, I am just trying to find it here. Please bear with me for one second.

I will say a general point while I am getting that information for the Deputy. We have substantially increased the investment in the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, year on year. There was a very significant increase between 2020 and 2021. If there is a small decrease into 2022, I will have to get that detail for the Deputy. We approved, last year, the workforce plan for the RTB and we are putting in place a chief executive at assistant secretary level, which was a very significant step forward. It is enhancing and improving the inspection regime that is there. We are asking the RTB to do more now than we have ever done before, underpinned by way of legislation.

I will just have to double-check with regard to an overall small reduction. Last year, €10 million was made available to local authorities on that. However, total expenditure on rent and inspections was €2.763 million. There was a reduction of physical inspections last year because of Covid. Therefore, there were unspent funds in that space. I will have to look at the overall figure.