Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 1569: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action his Department intends to take against local authorities that have conducted no inspections of private rented properties in their jurisdictions. [30106/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The new partnership agreement, Towards 2016, contains a commitment that minimum private rented housing standards regulations will be updated and effectively enforced. Earlier this month I announced an Action Programme which comprehensively addresses the standards issue involving a combination of promotion, information, appropriate regulation and strategic enforcement, backed up by funding for local authorities.

In relation to enforcement, local authorities are being asked to prioritise action to improve enforcement of the regulations through a planned and strategic approach, focussing particularly on the accommodation most likely to be deficient, while avoiding, as far as possible, adverse impact on tenants. Increased funding is also being provided to local authorities from the proceeds of tenancy registration fees for the enforcement of the regulations. Interim payments totalling €1m have recently been made to local authorities in respect of 2006. The distribution of the balance of the 2006 funds will take account of enforcement performance. Local authorities will be required to provide returns on enforcement for inclusion in the Housing Statistics Bulletin. All future payments will be related to these returns.

In addition, the Centre for Housing Research will undertake a study of measures to promote improvement in private rented accommodation standards and develop good practice guidelines to assist housing authorities in their functions relating to the private rented sector with a view to achieving increased effectiveness, including more strategic and proactive approaches to enforcement. I am confident that the proposed measures will result in greater enforcement by local authorities.