Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I thought I already answered that question when I said we are meeting the targets for social housing. With regard to the standards for private accommodation, there were 30,000 rented accommodation properties registered in 2003. The figure for 2007 is 200,000. There has been a dramatic improvement in this area. With regard to standards, a total of 700,000 new units have been built in the past ten years so those units are, by and large, in good condition. That is not to say there are not other properties that require upgrading. The Deputy has made the point that local authorities are not required to inspect all accommodation. It would be a waste of the local authorities' resources to inspect new properties. The best use of those resources is to target them at the categories where one is most likely to find non-compliance.

I have allocated €7 million for enforcement since 2004. This year I allocated €3 million, a 50% increase on last year's allocation. The first tranche of €1.5 million was paid out at the end of November to the local authorities that were meeting targets and appeared to be working well in this area. The balance of €1.5 million will be given to the local authorities that achieve inspection targets to ensure there is compliance. A fine system has been introduced for people who have not registered. The fine has increased significantly, from €1,270 to €3,000, and imprisonment can follow in cases where there is continued non-compliance.

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