Vol. 531 No. 2
38 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the assessment he has made of the number of tenants and the number of tenancies of former rent controlled dwellings; the changes which will occur in 2002 in respect of these tenancies; the measures he is planning to address the needs of the tenants concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5135/01]
49 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the outcome of a recent postal survey of tenants who are in rent controlled dwellings; if he will estimate the number of tenants who may be affected by the expiry of rights of tenure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1191/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 49 together.
The Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Act, 1982, confers a right to retain, as a tenant, possession of a formerly rent controlled dwelling for the lifetime of the person who was the tenant at the commencement of the Act – 26 July 1982 – and for the lifetime of their spouse. Where a member or successive members of the tenant's family succeeded to the tenancy within 20 years of the commencement of the Act, the right to retain possession continues to 25 July 2002, with a minimum tenancy period of five years even where this may extend beyond that date. Successor tenants may claim a renewable lease for up to 35 years under the provisions of the Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Act, 1980.
To obtain the up to date information necessary to address the changed situation which will apply in July 2002, local authorities throughout the country have, at the request of my Department, been undertaking a postal survey of tenants of dwellings registered with them under the Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Act, 1982, with a view to ascertaining the number of successor tenants remaining in the sector. The majority of authorities have completed their surveys and have forwarded the data collected to my Department. However, a number still have not done so and pending their submission, I am not in a position to provide a reliable estimate of the number of successor tenants that may be affected. The information already submitted, however, appears to indicate that the final figure for such tenants will be unlikely to exceed 750. Local authorities have been asked to submit outstanding survey data without delay and this information, when received, will inform future policy decisions on this issue.
