Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 507: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he plans to introduce amending legislation to require the publication of prices actually secured in house sales in order to make accurate market data available to potential house buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22340/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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My Department collates and publishes a wide range of house price statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of housing policy. Among the areas of activity covered are statistics on:

· House prices, broken down under a number of headings, including new and second hand properties;

· Lending activity for both loans approved and drawn down;

· House purchaser demographics (buyer status, age, income ranges).

These data are aggregated on a regional basis and provide a useful yardstick in relation to house price trends. The full range of data compiled can be viewed on my Department's website, www.environ.ie. However, with regard to specific sales prices achieved for individual houses, the Data Protection Act, which comes under the remit of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, precludes the publication of such data without the consent of the purchaser and vendor involved in each transaction.