Mr. Michael McCarthy:

I thank the Deputy for his important questions. We look at rental inspections and the number of inspections by local authorities in 2021. It would not be a role for us to recommend the creation, effectively, of another kind of a State body. Suffice it to say, there will be different kinds of approaches in different local authorities. That is why I keep coming back to the good practice seminar where we flag that good practice. Local authority A or local authority B may be doing very well, but as one goes further into the 31 local authorities, they may not be doing as well. We intend to pull that experience and platform it at a good practice seminar. That is where we want effectively to encourage the other local authorities to take up that particular practice. Insofar as going beyond that, we quickly stray into policy territory, certainly in terms of recommending. However, if the Minister, in his or her wisdom, decided something is a particular issue and it is so important that he or she would like the Department to look at it and refer it to us, of course we would be willing to look at that issue.

In the absence of that direct request from the Minister, however, we would be straying into policy territory and we have to perform to our statutory remit.