Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 355: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if each local authority has adopted a strategy to deal with anti-social behaviour; if personnel are assigned specifically to tasks identified in such strategies; if so, the number and in which authorities; his views on a multi-agency approach to serious anti-social behaviour problems in council estates; if funding has been allocated by his Department for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4302/07]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities are responsible under the Housing Acts for the management and maintenance of their housing stock and the management of their estates, including taking appropriate measures in relation to anti-social behaviour. Authorities have extensive powers under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 to deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour. In fulfilment of commitments in the Housing Policy statement — Building Sustainable Communities, I am reviewing the provisions of this Act with a view to strengthening their powers and I hope to bring forward legislative proposals in this regard as soon as possible this year.

Primary responsibility for dealing with law and order issues rests with the Garda Síochána and in this regard, the powers of the Gardaí in dealing with anti social behaviour were enhanced under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 further supports these efforts and provides for the establishment of joint policing committees — representative of local authorities, the Gardaí, other public bodies and community interests — whose statutory function includes reviewing the level and patterns of anti-social behaviour and advising on measures to tackle such behaviour. Clearly, the issue of anti social behaviour is best addressed by a co-ordinated response from all relevant agencies and I am fully supportive of such an approach.

Guidelines prepared by the former Housing Unit, now the Centre for Housing Research, were issued to all local authorities to assist them in developing their approaches to combating anti-social behaviour within their housing estates. The allocation of staff and funding to deal with anti-social behaviour issues in the context of the overall management of their housing stock is a matter for the local authority concerned. Local authorities have been assisted in this regard through an 8% increase in 2007 over 2006 in the level of general purpose grants allocated from the Local Government Fund.