John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I assure Senators that I have looked at all these issues and I am assured, by the Attorney General and others, that I am not overstepping the mark with regard to intrusion into privacy etc. I will answer the points raised one by one. First, for Senator Coffey's information, I will read part of a letter from the Private Residential Tenancies Board:

Significantly increased resources are being provided to local authorities for inspection purposes and funding more than doubled between 2005 and 2008, rising from €1.5 million to €4 million. Funding will be maintained at this level for 2009, bringing funding allocations for this purpose since 2004 to €15 million.

The letter sets out the number of inspections carried out and the PRTB registrations. I will pass the letter to Senator Coffey. It is clear that funding has increased significantly from 2005 to 2008. The letter also states:

The payment to the local authorities of their portion of the income stream is dependent on levels of inspection performance by those authorities and while that has increased over the years, unused surplus funds are held by the PRTB in a fiduciary capacity for the local authorities. By the end of 2008, that accumulated fund was in the region of €9 million and it is currently estimated to be in the region of €10 million.

This provides a strong platform from which to fund more onerous inspection activities, in light of the new rented accommodation standards regulations. [Those new regulations were introduced in February 2009 and I think Senator Coffey will agree they were necessary.] These regulations set down a more rigorous set of minimum standards, most of which have immediate effect. However, those elements having cost intensive implications for landlords must be addressed by them within a four year window concluding on 1 February 2013.

Conscious of the need to reduce this accumulated fund and aiming to move the PRTB to a more self-sufficient financial standing, the disbursement ratio referred to above was readjusted on 1 April 2009. Over a number of years, as inspections activity continues and increases, the accumulated fund will be run down.

The Department will continue to monitor the situation taking the long-term funding requirements of the PRTB into account and further adjustments to the registration fee income disbursement ratio will be made as deemed necessary.

I am happy to give Senator Coffey the full reply - I read only part of it - as I know the Senator has an interest in this matter.

I will try to recall some of the issues raised. Senator Cummins asked about community welfare officers. It was not necessary to include a reference to community welfare officers because we are already dealing with the PRTB, which has access to that information.

In reply to Senator Burke, local authorities will only have access to information relevant under the legislation. They will not pry into people's other affairs. I assure Senator Burke of that.

Senator Coffey asked if we are covering all bases when we deal with the PRTB and the ESB and whether there are other sub-groups which should be included. The advice of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is that all bases are covered by the legislation.