Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount that has been budgeted for Dublin City Council to fund the Dublin Region Homeless Executive each year since 2008; the amount his Department has contributed to the Dublin Region Homeless Executive each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51796/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Homeless Agency was established in Dublin in 2001, in response to the higher levels of homelessness experienced in the city than elsewhere in Ireland at that time. The Homeless Agency formally became the Dublin Region Homeless Executive in 2011. It is now responsible for providing support and services to the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum and the Statutory Management Group. This service is provided by Dublin City Council as the lead statutory local authority and it adopts a shared service approach across the other 3 Dublin local authorities - South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is responsible for the planning, co-ordination and administration of funding in relation to the provision of quality services to people who are homeless in the Dublin area, and for the development of responses to prevent homelessness.

Under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 , my Department recoups to local authorities 90% of their expenditure on the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons. The local authority provides a further 10% from their own resources.

The amount recouped to Dublin City Council for the years 2008 to 2011 is outlined in a table. The administration costs of the Homeless Agency/Dublin Region Homeless Executive as recouped to Dublin City Council are identified separately. These figures are exclusive of the 10% contribution of the local authorities.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the sums being received by local authorities to carry out inspections of compliance with regulations governing standards for private rented accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51799/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, 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. 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 fun ding allocated by my Department from the monies set aside from the registration fees income received under section 137 of the Residential Tenancies Act and held by the Private Rented Tenancies Board (PRTB) in a fiduciary capacity.

A revised Ministerial Direction on 7 July 2010 directed that four-fifths of the proceeds of any fees should be used to defray the expenses of the Board in the performance of its functions and one-fifth should be transferred by the Board to local authorities for the purpose of the performance of their functions under the Housing Acts in relation to private rented accommodation.

The allocations of funding to local authorities increased significantly between 2005 and 2011, rising from €1.5m to €4m and in general local authorities have significantly expanded their inspection activity with the number of inspections more than doubling - from 6,815 in 2005 to 19,820 in 2011. Funding levels are reviewed annually and annual payments at the level of recent years may not be sustainable in the long term unless there is a significant increase in the level of tenancies registered with the PRTB. In 2012 my Department allocated a total sum of €2.4 m to housing authorities for the purpose of carrying out their functions under the Housing Acts in relation to rented accommodation. This brings total funding allocated for this purpose since 2004 to over €26 m.

Details of the amounts paid to each local authority in respect of the years 2004 to 2011 are available on the private rented accommodation section of the Department’s website at .