Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the annual budget and total number of personnel employed by the Private Residential Tenancies Board in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3440/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) was established in September 2004 under the Residential Tenancies Act. For the first six years the PRTB was in receipt of Exchequer funding towards operational costs but has operated on a self-financing basis since 2010.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 Board is currently entitled to retain 80% of the registration fee income to fund its activities, with 20% going to fund local authority inspections of rented accommodation under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008. It also retains the fees charged for its’ dispute resolution services.

The total number of personnel employed by the PRTB in whole time equivalents for the years in question is as follows:

-2010 – 65.4

- 2011 – 50.4

- 2012 – 37.4

- 2013 – 34.8

- 2014 – 30.3

The reduction in staffing in recent years needs to be seen in the context of the introduction of online tenancy registration and online dispute application services. In 2012, the PRTB awarded a contract, outsourcing its call -centre activities and processing of paper registrations, allowing the Board to focus on its dispute resolution processes.  There are currently 28 people employed on the PRTB account by the outsourced service provider.

Given the sustained increase in demand for PRTB services, approval has been provided for an additional 4 permanent staff and 5 temporary staff and the Board is currently working with the Public Appointments Service to fill these posts. My Department continues to keep the resources available to the PRTB under close review and engages regularly with the Board on this and other matters.