Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 46: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of private dwelling units which have been offered for sale or rental in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25068/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of housing policy. Among the areas of activity covered are statistics on:

· the delivery of various social and affordable housing supports,

· housing construction activity,

· inspections in the private rented sector, and

· house prices and lending activity.

My Department also collates data, on the basis of returns from the financial institutions, on mortgage approvals but it does not collate data on the number of housing units sold. The full range of data compiled can be viewed on my Department's website, www.environ.ie.

The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) registers tenancies in accordance with the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. While the Act requires landlords to register tenancies in respect of private rented dwellings there are certain classes of dwellings that do not fall within the provisions of the Act such as, for instance, dwellings let by local authorities, dwellings let as holiday homes and dwellings in which the landlord also resides. The number of tenancies registered each year cannot, therefore, be taken as a proxy indicator of annualised lettings due to the exemptions referred to above and also due to the fact that a proportion of tenancy registrations are re-registrations of existing tenancies.

While I have no function in these matters as the operation of tenancy registration is solely the responsibility of the PRTB, an independent statutory body, I understand that in excess of 217,000 active tenancies are currently registered with the PRTB. Further information in this regard may be obtained directly from the board which may be contacted at its offices at O'Connell Bridge House, Dublin 2 or by telephone or email. Contact details and details of tenancy registrations are also available on the board's website at www.prtb.ie.