Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 April 2008
105 Deputy Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures his Department has put in place to ensure that local authorities conform to ensuring that standards in local authority rented dwellings are in place; and the level of inspection activity that is carried out by local authorities in relation to their rental properties. [14453/08]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe minimum standards for rented accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 1993. These regulations apply to local authority and voluntary housing units as well as private rented accommodation and local authorities have responsibility for the enforcement of the regulations in relation to all properties — local authority, voluntary and private. The key element in ensuring good standards of local authority housing is the performance of local authorities in relation to the maintenance and, where necessary, improvement of their housing stock. These are matters in respect of which local authorities have a significant degree of devolved responsibility and which are subject to oversight by the elected members of each individual authority.
