The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter T.D, today announced that the Government has decided to appoint a Chairperson and 5 ordinary members to the Property Services Appeal Board. The Minister announced in May 2012 that he was seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified members of the public to be considered for appointment and 41 applications were received in total. Appointments will be for a four year term or until the attainment of the age of 70 years whichever is the earlier.
The Chairperson is Ms. Patricia O’Connor who is a self employed solicitor based in Limerick. Ms. O’Connor acted as an Adjudicator with the Private Residential Tenancies Board from 2007 to 2010 and most recently with the Valuation Tribunal from 2010 to date.
The five other members appointed by the Government to the Authority are:
· Ms. Sunniva McDonagh
· Mr. James Bridgeman
· Mr. David McGarry
· Ms. Dorathea Dowling
· Mr. Philip Moynihan
Announcing the members of the new Authority the Minister said:
“I am delighted to announce details of these appointments today. I was extremely impressed with the overall standard of application received when expressions of interest were sought for appointment to the Authority last May.
The appointment of the above members to the Property Services Appeal Board is another step in the process of providing clients of property service providers with greater confidence in future property transactions and associated business dealings.
Finally, I want to thank all those who expressed an interest in becoming a member of the Authority following a public invitation for expressions of interest.”
Notes to Editor
Functions of the Property Services Appeal Board
Establishment of the Property Services Appeal Board is provided for in section 74 (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2011/en/act/pub/0040/sec0074.html#sec74) of the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011 (No. 40 of 2011). Detailed provisions in respect of the Appeal Board are set out in Schedule 5 (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2011/en/act/pub/0040/sched5.html#sched5) to the Act.
The Appeal Board’s primary functions will be to adjudicate on any appeals against decisions of the Property Services Regulatory Authority to refuse to issue licences for the provision of property services to applicants who do not satisfy new statutory standards and the Authority's decisions on sanctions, if any, to be imposed on licensees against whom complaints have been made.
Functions of the Property Services Regulatory Authority
The main functions of the Property Service Regulatory Authority (PSRA) which was established on a statutory basis on 3 April, 2012 under the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011 are as follows:
· the licensing of property service providers;
· the provision of redress mechanisms concerning complaints against auctioneers, estate agents and property management agents;
· the setting of other property related standards;
· the publication of residential property sales prices; and
· the establishment and maintenance of a public database containing relevant details of letting arrangements and rent reviews in the commercial property market.
Property Services Appeal Board Members
Patricia O’Connor (Chairperson): is a self employed Solicitor based in Limerick. She acted as an Adjudicator with the Private Residential Tenancies Board from 2007 to 2010 and most recently with the Valuation Tribunal from 2010 to date. She is also a Council member with the Health and Social Care Professionals Council. She is a member of the Independent Appeals Tribunal in the Irish Prison Service since December 2010. As Chairperson Designate, Patricia engaged with the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on 13 July, 2012.
Ms Sunniva Mc Donagh: is a Barrister based in Dublin. She was a member of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal from 2000 to 2005. She is a member of the Mental Health Tribunal since 2010.
Mr James Bridgeman: is a Barrister based in Dublin. He is a member of the Dispute Resolution Committee of the Private Residential Tenancies Board. He is also Chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee of the Institute of Incorporated Public Accountants (IIPA).
Mr David McGarry: is Finance Director of Indaver Ireland Group. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He has a number of qualifications in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors and is a qualified Chartered Director.
Ms Dorothea Dowling: is Group Liability Manager with CIE. She has been Chairperson of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board from 2002 to date. She has over 25 years experience involving litigation, managing and motivating interdisciplinary teams.
Mr. Philip Moynihan: retired from An Garda Siochana in 2010 having attained the rank of Chief Superintendent in 2006. Mr Moynihan holds a BA in Public Management from the Institute of Public Administration and a Diploma in Legal Studies from Waterford Institute of Technology.