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Health Acts, Housing and Rent Acts and other legislation, 2,653 complaints regarding
unsatisfactory conditions were investigated and 726 notices specifying works to remedy
defects such as dampness, general disrepair, defective drainage, leaking roofs, etc.,
were served. In addition, pursuant to the requirements of Section 3 of the Housing Act,
1957 and the Housing Consolidated Regulations. 1925/32, some 723 houses were surveyed
to ascertain their fitness for human habitation having regard to the standard prescribed
by the Act and the possibility or otherwise of their being included in a slum clearance
scheme or dealt with by demolition or closing order procedure.
Legal proceedings arising from the failure of owners to comply with the requirements
of notices served under the nuisance abatement procedure of the Public Health Acts
were instituted in 8 cases. Such proceedings are not, however, always successful in
enforcing essential repairs, in a number of instances the Public Health Committee were
obliged to consider the deferred demolition procedure as provided by Section 17 of the
Housing Act, 1957, which enables the Council to purchase such houses at site value with
a view to maintaining them in a tolerably habitable condition until such time as alternative
accommodation is found for the occupants.
The somewhat confusing procedure under the Rent Act, 1957, relating to the issue
of certificates of disrepair and with regard to the rights and duties of the tenant and
the responsibilities of the local sanitary authority made it necessary for the Council
to set up a special enquiry bureau to assist members of the public. During the year
under review, 264 applications for certificates of disrepair and 139 applications for
certificates as to the remedying of defects etc., were received and dealt with by the
Public Health Inspectorate; 254 notices (Form J) of the Council's proposal to issue
such certificates were served on landlords arising out of which 189 undertakings (FormK)
to remedy defects specified thereon within a period of 6 months were submitted by the
owners and accepted by the Council and 100 certificates of disrepair were issued.
Administration of the new Rent Act has added considerably to the work of this Section
of the Department, the steady flow of applications from tenants and owners for various
certificates under the Act continues and at the time of preparing this report over 700
had been received and dealt with.
Owing to the staff shortages referred to earlier, it was not until September that
it was possible for the Public Health Inspectorate to start a detailed survey of the
properties included in the second of the Council's proposed slum clearance and redevelopment
areas. However, substantial progress has now been made preparatory to the submission
to the Public Health Committee of an official representation pursuant to Sections 42 and
157 (1) of the Housing Act. 1957.
The section of the report entitled "Sanitary circumstances of the area, Part 2
Statistics* contains full details of inspections and notices served under the Housing
and Public Health Acts and relevant legislation; the number of houses classified as a
result of inspections under the Housing Consolidated Regulations, 1925/32; details of
improvements affected to dwelling houses as a result of informal and statutory action,
and further information regarding the institution of legal proceedings and the administration
of the Rent Act, 1957.
RODENT AND INSECT PEST CONTROL
Under the prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, the Statutory duty of the Council
in regard to rodent control is threefold; to inspect the district in order to ascertain
the degree of infestation by rats and mice; to destroy rodents on land of which they are
the occupiers and to ensure if necessary by legal proceedings that owners and occupiers
of land are taking all practicable steps for the destruction of rats and mice. It should
be noted that land for this purpose includes buildings or parts of buildings. In order
to meet its obligations under the Act the Local Authority must maintain an organisation
adequate to requirements for effective rodent control according to the condition of
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