Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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527. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will review the regulations introduced in 2013 (details supplied) regarding bed-sits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48950/14]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Regulations 6, 7 and 8 of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008 came into effect for all residential rented accommodation on 1 February 2013. The purpose of Regulation 6 is to ensure that each rental property has exclusive access to its own sanitary facilities and that those facilities are contained within the dwelling unit. Regulation 7 relates to effective heating which can be independently managed by the tenant, while Regulation 8 provides for sole access to adequate facilities for the hygienic storage, preparation and cooking of food. The 2008 Regulations came into effect generally on 1 February 2009 but allowed a four year phasing-in period to facilitate any improvement works that needed to be carried out in respect of Regulations 6, 7 and 8. The revised standards in the 2008 Regulations were based on a review of minimum standards dating back to 1993 which tolerated very basic facilities such as external toilets, cold water only and having an open fireplace as the only heating source. Minimum standards are necessary as a protection to all tenants and especially to the most vulnerable.

Census 2011 indicated that there were approximately 4,500 bed-sits across the country – the majority of which were in Dublin – accounting for 1% of households in the private rented sector. A recent report from Dublin City Council found that the majority of dwellings selected for inspection (which were pre-1963 multi-unit buildings and more likely to be in this category of accommodation) were non-compliant with the regulations on initial inspection. It is worth emphasising that 72% of the dwellings inspected were failing on fire safety grounds.

These inspections were part of an intensified inspection programme funded by my Department that commenced in 2012 and is due to run until March 2015. It specifically targeted concentrations of rented properties which were deemed to be at risk of non-compliance with the legislation. Up to October 2014, 66% of the non-compliant properties had been brought into compliance. Enforcement action continues against the remainder, including legal action in certain cases.

As a result of the regulations and the inspection programme to date, many tenants are now living in safe, healthy homes. I have no plans to amend the regulations to reduce the standards required.