In a separate discussion at the Public Accounts Committee, Department of the Environment secretary general Geraldine Tallon said it cost almost €500,000 to store unused electronic voting machines last year, down from €700,000 in 2006.
Sixty per cent of machines had been moved to central storage in Gormanston, Co Meath, which had cut the costs. DTZ/Sherry FitzGerald had been appointed to advise on the locations used to store the machines around the country.
Later, staff from the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB)told the committee that the Revenue Commissioners had sought information about landlords on its register on fewer than 10 occasions since it was set up in 2004.
The time taken to adjudicate on tenancy disputes was increasing as the number of cases coming before the board increased, from 900 in 2005 to 1,500 last year, the committee heard.
In order to serve notices on landlords, the PRTB had to have their addresses and it was running into a lot of problems in this regard.