No written records between RTB and minister over mass eviction in Wexford, admits department

The Social Democrats claim the lack of correspondence indicates James Browne did not take the matter 'seriously'

An agent for a landlord distributing eviction notices served on 36 homes in Wexford in February which were attributed to new rental rules. The eviction notices were later rescinded.

There is no written correspondence between housing minister James Browne and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) regarding a now-cancelled mass eviction in a Wexford estate, the Department of Housing has admitted.

This is despite the minister telling reporters on March 4 that he had spoken to the head of the RTB, Rosemary Steen, about eviction notices served to 36 households at the Hazelwood Estate in Bridgetown, Co Wexford.

A spokesperson for Mr Browne insisted that he did speak to the RTB about the matter, but that all communication was done via telephone and there were no written records.

The Social Democrats’ housing spokesperson, Rory Hearne, claimed the lack of correspondence indicates Mr Browne did not take the matter “seriously”.

In February, 36 households in the Hazelwood Estate in Bridgetown, Co Wexford, were served with eviction notices.

Doorbell footage showed an agent acting on behalf of the landlord, Patchflow Ltd, attributing the eviction notices to new rental rules. The eviction notices were later rescinded.

'No record' of correspondence

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Irish Examiner sought copies of all correspondence between Mr Browne and his office with the RTB regarding the Wexford estate between January 1 and March 6.

However, the Department of Housing advised that the request had been refused because it “cannot locate any relevant records”.

It further advised that there had been a “search by officials in the minister’s office of email and electronic file storage”, a “search by the minister’s adviser of email and electronic file storage”, and a “search by relevant officials of email and electronic file storage”.

They also could not locate correspondence between Mr Browne and the chief executive of Wexford County Council, Eddie Taaffe.

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A spokesperson for the Department of Housing said the “minister scheduled a number of calls with RTB on this” and “contact wasn’t made by email”.

Mr Hearne told the Irish Examiner that Mr Browne speaking to the RTB on the phone was not enough.

“You would expect a minister intervening in a situation like that would be writing to the RTB and asking them formally to investigate that, looking for a specific response and report on that specific mass eviction to fully understand what is going on here,” he said.

Accusing the minister of "misleading", Mr Hearne added: "Just [making] a phone call is not a request to the RTB to undertake a significant intervention and investigation of a mass eviction.”

• Louise Burne is Irish Examiner political correspondent