Anti-Social Behaviour

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2014

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

Questions (382)

John Halligan

Question:

382. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm the number of anti-social behaviour officers currently employed in counties and cities here; the cost to his Department of same in the past year; the number of successful prosecutions that have been brought before the courts in each county as a result of anti-social behaviour complaints; and of those the number of properties that were taken back into the housing pool; if he is satisfied that the system in place to deal with anti-social behavioural problems within local authority housing areas is working; if his Department has any current plans to make any alternative proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6435/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Statistics are not available to my Department in relation to the number of anti-social behaviour officers employed by housing authorities and my Department does not provide funding to authorities in respect of such staff.

Housing authorities furnished to my Department the 2012 statistics set out in the following table that correspond to the information relating to anti-social behaviour court proceedings sought.

Housing Authority	Number of excluding orders made by court1 under section 3, Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997	Number of warrants issued by court1 under section 62, Housing Act 1966	Number of dwellings repossessed by housing authority on foot of section 62 warrants
County Councils:
Fingal	-	-	1
Limerick	2	-	-
City Councils:
Dublin	2	1	1
Galway	-	1	1
Limerick	-	4	2
Town/Borough Councils:
Athlone	-	1	1
New Ross	1	-	-
Sligo	1	-	-

1 District Court, or Circuit Court on appeal.

As regards the 2012 data for section 62 warrants and repossessions, following the Supreme Court declaration in February 2012 that section 62(3) of the 1966 Act is incompatible with the State’s obligations under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights , by reason of the absence of appropriate procedural safeguards in circumstances where there exists a factual dispute as to whether a tenancy has been properly terminated, housing authorities generally ceased applying for section 62 warrants in such cases.

Arising, inter alia, from consideration of the Supreme Court judgement, the Government, on 17 December 2013, approved priority drafting of a Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill that will provide, among other things, for a revised procedure to replace section 62 of the Housing Act 1966 enabling housing authorities to recover possession of their dwellings from households in serious breach of their tenancy agreements, including engaging in anti-social behaviour.  There will also be provisions in the Bill to strengthen the power of authorities to secure court orders excluding individuals engaged in anti-social behaviour from local authority housing and estates.