Mr. Paul Clegg:

The Deputy asked a financial question. This issue came to our attention in June 2014. At the end of the day, fire safety is about the residents of Longboat Quay. When we became aware of the issue we immediately appointed our own fire safety consultant in conjunction with the fire services department. On the recommendation of the consultant we put fire marshals in place to ensure that a detection process is available in the event of any emergency and that people can be evacuated safely. In working with the management company, we made sure that communication was entered into with residents. A letter was sent from the management company to all owners and residents and Dublin Fire Brigade also sent a fire safety leaflet and a fact sheet outlining the key questions. The next stage of work was the installation of fire alarms. We have paid for the marshals and the fire alarms, and that work has just been completed. Our immediate reaction was not to consider the liability issues but to make sure people were safe. The main issue arising was a deficiency in the fire alarm system, which is in the process of being resolved. We have put in place a good detection and evacuation process. The next stage is to examine in detail the remaining deficiencies in each department. This is a question of compartmentalisation, where fire proofing is done within individual units. Through our fire safety consultant we are in the processing of assessing the extent of that work. To date the authority has spent €1 million to ensure people are safe in Longboat Quay and the next stage involves identifying the remaining work required.