Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 277: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps, in view of the fact that it is accepted that in the future more Irish persons and families will live in privately rented accommodation for the duration of their lives, his Department has taken or plans to take to further increase the security of tenure enjoyed by tenants in privately rented accommodation to bring this more into line with the security of tenure enjoyed in other European Union member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27638/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides security of tenure for tenants based on a four-year cycle. This significant improvement to tenants' security of tenure was recommended by the Commission on the Private Rented Residential Sector whose report largely formed the basis of the legislation. Information relating to the private rental sector in other countries was among the matters examined by the Commission.

The Private Residential Tenancies Board has a role in keeping the operation of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 under review and making recommendations for any amendment of this or other related enactments. There are no proposals currently to amend the provisions relating to security of tenure, which are considered to be operating successfully and amendment of which would be premature, as the first four-year tenancy cycle will not conclude until September 2008.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 278: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps that have been taken to introduce the reforms in the action programme on minimum standards to tackle the poor standards in private rented sector housing and to cut the funding received from the landlord registration fee to local authorities who do not inspect private rented properties to ensure they meet acceptable standards; the progress on any steps taken; if local authorities have been found negligent in inspecting privately rented accommodation in their area; the action that has been taken against them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27639/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Good progress is being made with the Action Programme announced in September 2006 to promote improvement in standards in private rented accommodation, involving a range of measures including improved regulation, enforcement, funding and information. Updating of the existing standards regulations in consultation with relevant interests is an important element of this programme. Submissions received in that regard are being considered and revised regulations should be available by the end of 2007. Relevant recommendations arising from a study currently being carried out by the Centre for Housing Research on measures to promote improvement in private rented accommodation standards will also be taken into account.

Housing authorities are giving greater priority to enforcement of the regulations. The number of inspections carried out in 2006 increased by 44% over 2005, reflecting the impact of the Action Programme on Standards and progress with the Rental Accommodation Scheme. The rate of compliance with the Regulations reported by local authorities has also improved.

The system of funding local authority inspection activity is currently in a stage of transition, from one based solely on numbers of tenancy registrations to one based more on inspection performance. The primary purpose of allocating funding is to promote improved performance in the future, rather than penalise past under-performance. With regard to 2007, increased funding, linked partly to inspection activity, is being provided from the proceeds of tenancy registration fees, to support local authorities in their functions relating to the private rented sector. Accordingly, where a particular authority's inspection activity is low relative to others, this is reflected in reduced payments. For the future, it is intended that funding will be increasingly related to actual inspection performance.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 279: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps his Department plans to take to support the rights of the most vulnerable to housing, in view of the significant increase in the cost of rental accommodation especially in urban areas and to ensure some of these do not become homeless; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27641/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to achieving the targets set out in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016 and the National Development Plan 2007-2013 in accordance with the overarching framework contained in the national partnership agreement, Towards 2016. Taken together, these plans represent a coherent and ambitious strategy that will deliver real change for the most vulnerable in society.

The core objective of the Government's housing policy is to enable every household to have an affordable dwelling of good quality, suited to its needs, in a good environment, and, as far as possible, at the tenure of its choice. My Department's housing policy statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities, launched in February 2007, outlines an ambitious but realisable vision to guide development of the Irish housing sector over the coming decade. The intention is to deliver more and better quality housing responses and to do this in a more strategic way, focused on building sustainable communities. A key ambition is to respond to housing needs by, inter alia, tailoring support, taking into account the household's position in the life cycle. The total Exchequer provision for housing in 2007 is €1.495 billion. In addition, more than €700m in non-Exchequer finance is available to local authorities, primarily in the form of HFA loan finance for lending to purchasers under the various affordable housing schemes.

The housing needs of vulnerable households are well recognised. A National Advisory Group has recently been established under the aegis of the Housing Forum to assist the development of a national housing strategy to support the provision of tailored housing and housing supports for people with a disability. This Group, chaired by my Department, involves the Department of Health and Children, the HSE, the National Disability Authority, social partners, a number of organisations representing people with a disability and other relevant stakeholders. The Housing Strategy for People with a Disability will be developed by end 2009 and will have particular regard to the needs of adults with significant disabilities and people who experience mental health issues.

My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children, the HSE, the Office for Social Inclusion and local authorities, has recently convened a Cross Departmental Team on Sheltered Housing for Older People. Over the course of 2008, the Cross Departmental Team will develop policy governing sheltered housing provision for older people. It will also agree local structures and protocols for the integrated management and delivery of housing requirements and the provision of care in sheltered housing for older people.

Towards 2016 contains a commitment to the elimination of the long-term occupancy of emergency homeless accommodation (i.e. that persons should not occupy emergency homeless accommodation for any longer than six months) by 2010. Work is also under way in my Department on the finalisation of a revised and updated Government Strategy on Homelessness, having regard to the Independent Review of Implementation of Homeless Strategies, published in 2006. As part of this process, a National Homeless Consultative Committee, including representatives from the providers of local homeless services, has been established under the aegis of the Housing Forum. Preventative measures to ensure that homelessness does not arise in the first instance will be a key element of the new Strategy. Health Impact Assessment and Poverty Impact Assessment procedures are being carried out on the revised Government Strategy as part of its preparation.

Although rents have increased in the past two years, the longer-term trend is quite moderate with an increase over the 5 years from August 2002 to August 2007 of 12%, an average of 2.4% per annum. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2004 provides that rents in the private rented sector cannot be set at a level greater than the open market rate and that rent reviews cannot, in the normal course, occur more frequently than once a year. Any private rental tenant who considers that the rent sought exceeds the market rate can refer a case to the Private Residential Tenancies Board's dispute resolution service.