Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Construction Defects: Discussion with Construction Defects Alliance

Photo of Cian O'CallaghanCian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Construction Defects Alliance and the other speakers for coming in. I also want to thank the Construction Defects Alliance for all the work they have done. I know this is very stressful and challenging for everybody involved.

One of the lessons from this matter is that we need much stronger regulation, enforcement and licensing in the industry and that there must be repercussions for and accountability on the part of developers, in terms of both future planning and defects. I looked into this matter in some detail when it arose in the area that I represent. I went through thousands of pages that I obtained through freedom of information requests from my local council in order to try to get to the bottom of it. I saw quite clearly that in one instance my local council had known about this and failed to act in its role as a building control, planning and fire safety authority. It is important that there is fairness and justice for homeowners and part of that has to mean that it is retrospective. I agree that this needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. If it is not retrospective, we will be looking at a double injustice visited upon those who have been affected and who have been most responsible in putting in all the work in order to get works to go ahead.

I ask Mr. Nugent and Mr. Mulhern in particular to outline what the effects were for them of finding the defects. What was the impact on insurance costs? How much are the defects costing the owners and what is it like? It has been mentioned what it is like trying to collect money from the other owners. What was the reaction of the witnesses when they found out that their local authority had known about the defects for six or seven years and had not told the residents in the estate?

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