Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 April 2005
246 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there are plans for the future roll-out of the services of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB, to sub-national level due to the large workload facing the board and the difficulties facing those outside Dublin accessing its services. [13841/05]
Amharc ar fhreagra
While the offices of the Private Residential Tenancies Board are in Canal House, Canal Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, the dispute resolution function of the board is carried out, as far as possible, in the area where the tenancy that is the subject of a dispute is located. The panels of mediators and adjudicators established by the board under section 164 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 operate countrywide and mediators and adjudicators are allocated disputes based on the location of the tenancy.
247 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department will address the continuing issue of poor sanitary standards in inner city private rented accommodation by increasing resources available to local authorities which are not adequately fulfilling this responsibility. [13842/05]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Responsibility for the enforcement of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993 rests with the local authorities. Between 1996 and 2004, specific resources for this work have been available to local authorities through registration fees payable by landlords to the local authority in whose functional area their rented dwellings are situated.
Since 1 September 2004, the regulations relating to registration with local authorities have been repealed and replaced with the requirement on authorities to register details of their tenancies with the Private Residential Tenancies Board. Arrangements are in place for the transfer of registration fee moneys from the board to the local authorities in recognition of their registration fee income foregone. The transfer will be based on each authority's performance in enforcing the standards and rent books regulations as evidenced by their statistical returns, as well as the level of registrations relating to their functional areas and the need to distribute income across the four year tenancy cycle. These new arrangements will mean that authorities continue to be specifically resourced for this function and should lead to greater enforcement activity of the standards regulations on their part.
