Departmental Bodies.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2006

Tuesday, 7 November 2006

Questions (442, 443)

Arthur Morgan

Question:

510 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make additional resources and staff available to the Private Residential Tenancies Board to meet with its obligations under the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004. [36753/06]

Michael Collins

Question:

527 Mr. Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the level of resources dedicated to the Private Residential Tenancies Board, including the amount of Exchequer funding and the numbers of staff;. [36707/06]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 510 and 527 together.

An increased provision of €3.7 million is available to fund the Private Residential Tenancies Board's administration and services in 2006, compared with an outturn of €1.737 million in 2005. There is currently a total of 51.5 staff working in the Board. The Board has also engaged a panel of 175 mediators and adjudicators to assist with its dispute resolution functions. It is a matter for the Board to keep the adequacy of their resources under review. Any specific proposals from the Board regarding resources will be fully considered.