Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of prosecutions taken against landlords in 2007 for not meeting the minimum standard for private rental accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3937/08]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide a report detailing the figures from each city and county council in relation to the number of prosecutions taken against landlords in the relevant local authority area for failing to meet the minimum standard for private rental accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3938/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together.

Minimum standards for private rented accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations. Failure to do so is an offence, subject, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €3,000, or a term of six months in prison or both and €250 for each day of a continuing offence. Responsibility for enforcing the regulations rests with the relevant local authority.

The number of legal actions initiated on a county/city basis for breaches of the regulations, as reported by local authorities, is published in the Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins, which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the Department's website at www.environ.ie. Data for 2007 are not yet available.

A report published by the Centre for Housing Research in November 2007 points out that landlords' responsiveness to notices of non-compliance issued by local authorities has ensured that the need to prosecute is relatively low. The report also concludes that the low volume of cases taken each year suggests that most examples of non-compliance are on a relatively minor scale.