John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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274. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount spent on rental inspections in each of the years 2012 to 2016, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47368/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Government's Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, sets out a wide range of measures to be introduced under the headings of Supply, Security, Standards and Services, many of which have already been progressed.

I have already introduced a range of measures to strengthen the applicable standards and to improve the services provided in terms of inspection and enforcement systems.

On 1 July 2017, updated standards, the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2017, came into effect. These regulations focus on tenant safety and include new measures covering heating appliances, carbon monoxide and window safety. In addition, my Department published a guidance document to assist and support local authorities in implementing the 2017 regulations. With very limited exemptions, these regulations apply to local authority and voluntary housing units as well as private rented residential accommodation.

All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations and responsibility for the enforcement of the regulations rests with the relevant local authority supported by a dedicated stream of funding provided from part of the proceeds of tenancy registration fees collected by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

Since the establishment of the RTB, over €34 million has been paid to local authorities to assist them in the performance of their functions under the Housing Acts, including the inspection of rented accommodation.  Over 185,000 inspections were carried out during this period.

Over the five years from 2012 to the end of 2016, a total of €10.31 million was provided to local authorities for inspection purposes; €2.4m in 2012, €2.31m in 2013, €2.02m in 2014, €1.88m in 2015 and €1.7m in 2016.

The Rental Strategy recognises the need for additional resources to be provided to local authorities to aid increased inspections of properties and ensure greater compliance with the regulations.  Provision has been made to commence this process in 2018, when €2.5m in funding will be provided, with the intention of providing further increases each year in the period to 2021, by which point it is envisaged that €10m will be provided annually, so as to achieve an inspection coverage of 25% of rental properties annually.