Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Most of many questions have been answered. It is sad that, since 2015, so many buildings have been affected. There have been good buildings but there were, especially in the boom, many buildings that were not regulated by the local authority or others. It is a massive issue. There is a recommendation for more homes and fewer complaints, based on a model from England. There are ten recommendations, one of which is to set up a new ombudsman for building and sales. I am a firm believer that if a person has a home it is their home for life, their castle. We have to make sure that the rules and regulations are enforced and that people who have homes feel secure in them. Over the years there have been issues with fire safety and wheelchair accessibility, among other things, and I have seen apartments built with no light. There might be a tiny window and I cannot understand how this was allowed to happen. It is a bit too late now but we are where we are. The programme for Government contains a commitment to build thousands of houses between now and 2021 and it is crucial that these buildings are regulated and controlled.

The biggest issue over the years was accountability.

There needs to be accountability for this. In the future, once that is in place, people will have lovely homes and will be very happy in them. I know of many cases over the years which I felt should never have been approved. I would be concerned about the once-off housing as well. There are still many concerns that need to be addressed but in future, everybody should be working in the interests of the homeowner and the builder. There are definitely many issues that need to be addressed.