Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to increase the resourcing of the Private Rental Tenancies Board. [30404/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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While the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) received Exchequer funding for a number of years since its establishment in September 2004, it has operated on a self-financing basis since 2010. I have no plans to restore Exchequer funding to the PRTB and, in the current economic circumstances, it is critical that the Board continues to manage its financial resources to best effect. The Board's staffing resources are also constrained and must be managed under the Employment Control Framework designed to contain and reduce staff numbers in the PRTB.

The PRTB's funding is derived primarily from a proportion of the fee income accruing from tenancy registrations, as set down by ministerial Order. The PRTB is currently entitled to retain 80% of the registration fee income to fund its activities, with 20% going to fund Local Authority inspections of private rented residential accommodation. It also retains the fees it charges for its dispute resolution services.

The registration fee for a new tenancy is currently set at €90 or €180 if the tenancy is registered more than a month after the creation of the tenancy. The fees for the dispute resolution services are €25 for adjudication or mediation and €100 for an appeal to a tribunal. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 allows the PRTB to change its registration fees having regard to changes in the value of money generally in the State.

The Board's published accounts are available on its website at www.prtb.ie. The most recently available accounts relate to 2009 and its total expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2009 was €7.391 million. I understand that the Board's 2010 annual report and accounts will be submitted within a few weeks.

I am satisfied that the PRTB is actively engaging with its resources challenges and has taken steps to optimise its use of resources. In this regard it has, for instance, invested significantly in a comprehensive ICT strategy that now facilitates online registration of tenancies and will allow for automation of a range of currently time-intensive manual processes.