Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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142. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps being taken to ensure the PRSA is in a position to fully meet its statutory requirements in view of the fact that by its own admission it was unable to do so over the past years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40144/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) was formally established on 3 April 2012, pursuant to the Property Services (Regulation) Act, 2011. One of the main statutory functions of the PSRA is the licensing of Property Service Providers, i.e. auctioneers, letting agents and property management agents. The Authority is independent in the performance of its functions.

The PSRA experienced some resource challenges in recent years, in common with other public service bodies, as a result of the moratorium on public service recruitment. During 2016, the Authority was assigned some additional staff and also availed of external resources in order to get its inspection functions fully operational. My Department, in consultation with the Authority, is committed to providing the appropriate and necessary resources to the PSRA into the future, either directly or on a contracted basis, having regard to pressures on public service staff numbers and competing demands.