Vol. 465 No. 2
10 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has to review articles 5(2)(c) and 5(2)(d) of the Housing (Registration of Rented Houses) Regulations, 1996 (S.I. No. 30 of 1996) to protect the privacy of tenants; and whether he considers it necessary in the public interest that such information is open to public inspection to see who is living with whom and the amount people are paying in rent. [9327/96]
22 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for the Environment his views regarding the right to privacy in relation to the information sought and the possible use of such information by criminals in view of article 5(2)(b) of the Housing (Registration of Rented Houses) Regulations, 1996 (S.I. No. 30 of 1996). [9326/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 22 together.
The public register to be kept by local authorities under the Housing (Registration of Rented Houses) Regulations, 1996 will not include the names of the landlord or tenant or the rent in respect of the dwelling. The privacy of landlords or tenants is not therefore compromised by the information contained in the register, which is confined to the address and a brief description of the rented dwelling, and the date of receipt by the local authority of the application to register.
Is the Minister aware of public concern about the local authorities seeking different base data on rented accommodation? Did she supply local authorities with a standard form?
I have provided local authorities with very clear regulations on the information that is required of landlords. I listened to and consulted with landlord interests, representative groups and tenants. I was conscious of the question of confidentiality and took it into account. It is very clear in the regulations and in the booklet which I have distributed widely. I reiterate, to counter the misinformation, that the information in the public register is confined solely to the address of the rented house, a brief description of the house type and the date of receipt by the local authority of the application to register. Any other information requested is purely for the information of the local authority and will be confidential. It is provided in order that the local authority can carry out its duties of enforcement.
Local authorities have been clearly informed as to the detail of these regulations. If the Deputy is aware of a problem in some local authority he should provide me with the details. I am satisfied that local authorities have been advised fully as to the information to be made public as opposed to the confidential information they need.
I have data from several local authorities, all of which are seeking different information. Some will allow an agent to make the application but others require the landlord to make it. Some local authorities require the landlord to sign his name to a statement that this is a total record of all his property in that local authority area. The departmental instructions are not being interpreted in a standard way by all local authorities.
The Deputy will find that local authorities will not be providing information to the public, which is what landlords have expressed concern about, except that provided for by regulation. Landlords either misunderstood the regulations or were misled as regards them. The information to be provided in the public register is uniform, the address, the description and the date of receipt of the application to register. The additional information a local authority may require is totally confidential to that local authority and is its business. The requirement for the register is very clearly stated. I am concerned that the media misconstrued what this registration is about and how the question of confidentiality has been dealt with. Clearly the Deputy is unaware that when it comes to the public register, three items of information will be in the public arena. Deputy Noel Ahern is well aware of the facts in this case.
