Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is important we address this issue and continue to do so until we have full sight, not only of the interim measures the Minister spoke about earlier on, but the full outworkings of the working group's report in order to have a scheme of 100% redress through a remedial programme to address the defects, whether it is 100,000 homes or more. As other Deputies said, this is not just private homes that are in landlords' possession. There are also private homes which are ordinary citizens' properties and homes which now belong to Dublin City Council and other approved housing bodies.

We have seen reports in the newspapers in the past couple of days on the Herberton complex in Rialto, part of the former Fatima Mansions scheme, which was bought by Dublin City Council from Kennedy Wilson in lieu of the Part V provisions that are supposed to be on all building sites. Kennedy Wilson wished Clancy Quay to be exclusive. We opposed it at the time. It had the facility to offer a severely defective block of apartments to Dublin City Council. There are major questions as to why Dublin City Council bought those properties knowing, as I believe, that there were defects. The council fitted them out, told people they would be ready in January of this year and, lo and behold, it was not and still is not because the defects are on such a grand scale.

It is not just the likes of Herberton. The Crescent Building in Park West is another case and there is the Metropolitan, Tramyard and many other complexes in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas I represent in which we know there are defects. The scale of them is such that sometimes the first residents hear of defects is when a fire officer issues a potentially-dangerous-building notice. Think of the panic that puts in people's minds when they have to take immediate action not to use the car parks or the bins or, in some cases, even more restrictive impositions to protect themselves and other residents in the buildings. These buildings are a fire trap and that is why insurance is not available.

That is why we need to act as quickly as possible to give the commitment, as seems to be the move, that the State will help those and ensure full help is there in order that those who are ready can go ahead and draw down money, if the banks are willing to lend it, to start remedial works in order that they can stay in their properties, rather than have to move or to address the issues as quickly as possible to give them relief so they can sleep at night.

This is not the fault of any of those who live in these complexes. They did not build them. They bought or moved into these properties with the best will in the world. Suddenly, their dreams are being shattered when they are faced with bills of €60,000 or €70,000 to make good something they were not aware of in the first place which involved shoddy workmanship and incompetence by the State and the local authorities, which did not do a job they should have done. That is the biggest scandal.

Caithfimid déileáil leis seo chomh tapa agus is féidir chun faoiseamh a thabhairt do ghnáthphobal a bhfuil cónaí air sna tithe agus na hárasáin seo. Níl an locht air gur cheannaigh sé tithe a raibh na fadhbanna seo ann. Ghlac sé leis an rud a bhí curtha os a gcomhair. Ghlac sé leis go raibh an Rialtas agus chomhairle cathrach tar éis an ruda chirt a dhéanamh agus go raibh na hárasáin seo foirfe. Is léir nach bhfuil siad foirfe ach níl an t-airgead atá á lorg ag an ngnáthphobal. Tá an Stát ag bogadh sa treo ceart ach caithfidh sé déanamh cinnte de go dtuigeann na comhlachtaí árachais agus na bainc go bhfuil siad chun cuidiú a thabhairt. Ba chóir dóibhsean tacú leis na gnáth-thionóntaí seo.

See this speech in context