Dcc - Alot to answer for as young woman dies

A 30-YEAR-OLD mother-of-two died in her “perilously cold” council flat in Ballymun, after Dublin City Council refused to fix the heating in her property.
Rachel Peavoy was found dead on January 11, 2010, and was later shown to have died of hypothermia, an inquest heard yesterday.
The Irish Examiner reports that the doctor representing has called for an independent inquiry to her death, after the inquest heard that her heating had stopped working, and the Council refused to restore it – saying a number of flats nearby were empty, and there was ongoing building work in adjacent units.
Rachel and her family had written to her local TD, former housing minister Noel Ahern, trying to get the heating fixed – but to no avail, leaving the flat “perilously cold” during the snowy snap of January 2010.
Rachel had left her two sons with her mother on January 10, and had turned off her phone when she returned to the flat, saying she could not sleep.
When she couldn’t be contacted the next day, her brother and friend gained access to her flat where they found her dead.
The inquest was adjourned to February 24, to obtain further statements about the temperature in her flat. She had “no other system disorder”, according to her doctor.

Are the local authorities exempt from the legislation that lays down the minimum housing standards for rented accommodation?

A former Garda was (briefly) jailed last year for delays in addressing issues with the substandard accommodation he rented out. Hopefully, those responsible for this woman's death will face the courts too.

Nige said:

Are the local authorities exempt from the legislation that lays down the minimum housing standards for rented accommodation?

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I know they are exempt from the PRTB rules.

Was there not another source of heating in the flat. If your central heating is not working you either get an electric heater or a gas heater or hot water bottles. Not everybody has central heating.