Vol. 510 No. 3
289 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many landlords are not registering their houses with the local authorities as they are obliged to do under the Housing (Registration of Rented Houses) Regulations, 1996; the action, if any, he proposes to take in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22216/99]
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the Housing (Registration of Rented Houses) Regulations, 1996. It is a matter for each authority to put in place arrangements to ensure their effective implementation. I am anxious to see an improved level of compliance with the provisions of the regulations and, in this regard, my Department has regularly urged authorities to take all measures open to them to ensure landlords comply with the regulations. In particular, authorities have been advised that they should have established procedures for prompt and effective follow-up action in relation to any inquiries, complaints or breaches of the regulations.
There has been some improvement in recent months in the number of dwellings registered under the regulations. The number of dwellings registered at the end of June 1999 was 25,474, compared to 22,876 at the end of March 1999.
I am keeping the operation of the regulations under review.
