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Public Health Inspection of the Area
PART 1 - COMMENT
HOUSING AND NUISANCE ABATEMENT
Of the statutory duties and responsibilities confronting the Local Sanitary
Authority none is more important, or indeed more onerous, than that which concerns
obsolete housing. The duties of the Public Health Inspectorate in relation to existing
housing accommodation is concerned generally with the repair, demolition or closure of
unfit houses, slum clearance, and other matters arising from the issue of certificates
of disrepair under the Rent Act. Dwelling houses are inspected as a general routine,
or on complaint, and statutory action taken as appropriate to secure the remedying of
defects and abatement of nuisances. Over the past twelve months some 10,632 inspections
and re-inspections were made under Public Health Acts, Housing and Rent Acts, Prevention
of Damage by Pests Act and other legislation; 1,640 complaints regarding unsatisfactory
conditions were investigated, and 775 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 500 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 Act
were initiated in 34 cases, and in all but one case the work was completed either before
the date of the hearing or after adjournment of the summonses. Such proceedings are not,
however, always successful in enforcing essential repairs; in one instance the Public
Health Committee were obliged to operate closing/demolition order procedure as provided
by Section 17/18 of the Housing Act.
During the year under review 42 applications under the Rent Act, 1957, for certificates
of disrepair, and 18 applications for certificates as to the remedying of defects
etc., were received and dealt with by the Public Health Inspectorate; 42 notices (Form
J) of the Council's proposal to issue such certificates were served on landlords,
arising out of which 26 undertakings (Form K) to remedy defects specified thereon
within a period of six months were submitted by the owners and accepted by the Council
and 16 certificates of disrepair were issued.
The statistical section of the report contains details of inspections and notices
served under the Housing and Public Health Acts and other relevant legislation; the
number of houses classified as a result of inspections under the Housing Consolidated
Regulations, 1925/32; details of improvements effected to dwelling houses as a result
of informal and statutory action; and information regarding the institution of legal
proceedings and the administration of the Rent Act, 1957.
SLUM CLEARANCE AND RE-DEVELOPMENT AREAS
The Council's programme in relation to slum clearance and re-development continues
to make satisfactory progress; most of the houses contained in the first scheme - the
Crescent Road area - have now been demolished and the new housing development is well
in hand.
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