Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the steps which can be taken by local authorities to force landlords to maintain properties which are not vacant; his plans to review these powers in view of current problems throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13938/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. These Regulations were further amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses)(Amendment) Regulations 2009 which expanded the definition of 'a proper state of structural repair' to allow for all aspects of the internal and external appearance of a dwelling to be taken into account for the purposes of the Regulations. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations. Responsibility for enforcing the regulations rests with the relevant local authority, supported by a dedicated stream of funding allocated by my Department.

This funding increased significantly between 2005 and 2009, rising from €1.5m to €4m. In 2010, the amount allocated to housing authorities for the purpose of carrying out their functions under the Housing Acts in relation to rented accommodation was increased by €1.6m. This total allocation of €5.6m for 2010, which brings the total funding for this purpose since 2004 to over €20m, was paid using a combined methodology based on the number of inspections carried out by each housing authority and on once-off strategically-planned programmes of inspection which may be carried out by housing authorities in addition to their usual inspection activity.

In general, local authorities have significantly expanded their inspection activity in recent years with the number of inspections increasing by more than 300% – from 6,815 to 21,614 in the period 2005 to 2010. Details of the inspections of private rented accommodation carried out, the dwellings inspected which did not meet the statutory standards, and prosecutions initiated up to 2009 on a county/city basis are included in my Department's Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. The 2009 data show a year on year increase in the number of inspections carried out of approximately 15%, to 19,801 inspections, and this reflects the positive impact of the overall Action Programme on Standards , including increased funding, introduced on foot of a commitment in the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement, and progress with the implementation of the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

It is a matter for each individual local authority to decide the specific details of its enforcement strategy and inspection arrangements. However, in discharging their responsibilities in relation to the rental sector, authorities have been asked to have regard to the Good Practice Guidelines for Local Authorities on Standards in the Private Rented Sector: Strategic Planning, Effective Enforcement published by the Centre for Housing Research in November 2007, which make a range of recommendations on relevant issues, including targeting inspection activities.