Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 448: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the steps he will take to ensure all local authorities, Dublin City Council in particular, have ended the practice of renting bedsits to mainly older single tenants, and the moneys that has been made available to councils to replace or alter these bedsits with at least one-bedroomed flats that meet the Irish and EU standards that the private rented market has to comply with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22245/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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In September, 2006, my Department launched the programme Action on Private Rented Accommodation Standards. Arising out of this programme, on 1 February, 2009, new regulations prescribing minimum standards for rented housing, the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008) came into effect, with certain provisions being phased in for existing rental properties over a four year period.

A number of further measures, including a strengthened sanctions regime, required primary legislation and this was delivered by means of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 made minor amendments to the 2008 Regulations for compatibility with the 2009 Act and completed the new regulatory code.

Article 2 of the Regulations sets out the date from which the Regulations take effect. This depends on whether or not the house is an existing rental property and in such circumstances Articles 6, 7 and 8 will apply from 1 February, 2013. The purpose of Article 6 of the regulations is to ensure that each rental property has exclusive access to its own sanitary facilities and that those facilities are contained within the habitable area of the house. This provision will have the effect of removing traditional bed-sit-type accommodation from the rental market. Articles 7 and 8 relate to effective heating and to sole access to adequate facilities for hygienic storage, preparation and cooking of food.

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.

To ensure that all local authority housing stock meets the necessary standards required under the Regulations, my Department established a €10 million fund in 2010 to support local authorities, where required, in upgrading their stock. Over the course of 2010, authorities expended €6.7 million on upgrades with a further €0.56 million expended in 2011.