Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 924: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will respond to correspondence from a person (details supplied). [39178/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Earlier this year, I announced my intention to review the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 under which the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) operates. The purpose of this review is to consider whether the Act best supports the PRTB's key functions and whether legislative amendments would support either the achievement of additional operational efficiencies by the PRTB in the delivery of those functions or the broader good working of the private rented sector. Full details in relation to the background to the review and the associated terms of reference are available on my Department's website, www.environ.ie.

Issues surrounding the retention by landlords of deposits have been brought to my attention during the public consultation phase of the review and I understand that the PRTB itself is examining the various issues around the retention of deposits. The outcome of this research has not yet been communicated to my Department by the PRTB but I would expect it to feed into the review process outlined above. I expect to be in a position to announce the preliminary outcomes of the review shortly.