Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 472: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when the register of residential house prices envisaged in discussions with the troika will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4106/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment to improve the quality of information available on the Irish housing market by requiring that the selling price of all dwellings be recorded in a publicly available national housing price database. This commitment has been given effect in the recently-enacted Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011. Under the Act, the statutory functions of the Property Services Regulatory Authority will include the publication of residential property sales prices. This data will be supplied to the Authority on an ongoing basis by the Revenue Commissioners who are in receipt of it for stamp duty purposes.

I intend to make an order establishing the new Authority as soon as possible. An advertisement inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified persons for appointment as members of the Authority was published in December and a broad range of applications was received by the 21 December deadline. These are currently being assessed. I expect that the publication of residential property prices will be one of the Authority's priorities following its establishment.