Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies, I had to step out for a few minutes as I was doing a radio interview. I have listened to the witnesses' submissions. I have dealt with people affected by this issue in County Clare, if that can be believed. Two or three of those cases have been reasonably successfully resolved after a long time but others have not. There are two primary issues here. First, a pathway has to be found, as the Chairman said. We need a solution that encompasses those 92,000 people, rather than a bespoke one. That has to happen. I am confident this will be included in the next programme for Government, regardless of which parties make up that Government. The witnesses are right in their approach of trying to influence the party manifestos. I believe the issue will be resolved, but the problem is when. It needs to happen quickly.

PMPA went belly-up back in the 1980s. Something went wrong and many people were caught out. A levy relating to that collapse is still in place in the insurance industry today. If someone is involved in a collision with an uninsured driver, he or she has the means to go back and claim from that fund. The same type of principle should apply in this instance.

I was very troubled to hear Deputy Ó Broin talk about issues in a complex that was built in 2017. I deal with many planning issues in County Clare because I was a member of the local authority for a long time. As a Member of the Oireachtas people still come to me about such matters on a regular basis. There is a serious problem with professionals in the industry. Local authorities should not take planning applications from agents unless they are on an approved list and have the necessary qualifications. Sadly, many people put themselves out there as architects and professionals who do not have the skillset or modern equipment to advise people properly. Houses are being built to this day that I have no doubt will cause problems in the future. Those 92,000 cases must be dealt with urgently, but we also need to put safeguards in place going forward. That way, those affected by the 2017 example Deputy Ó Broin has cited and the other examples we no doubt will come across will not have to repeat this process in 2020 or 2025, as there would be a fund in place for them. Those structures should be informed by this committee's recommendations.