Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I believe we are losing the plot here. The builders have a responsibility, but the local authorities have a responsibility as well. For example, if one contacts a local authority and asks for a register of estates that are not taken in charge, I guarantee one would not be able to get that register. I am dealing with a local authority at present. I wrote to the local authority and I was advised that it is waiting for Irish Water to refer back to it as there were certain things that had to be finished by Irish Water. My office then wrote to Irish Water and found that the local authority had made no contact of any description with the company about the taking in charge of the estate. When I looked back over this I found the local authority has been dealing with the taking in charge of the estate since 2008. It still has not been taken in charge even though the local authority has drawn down the bond fully. The residents, therefore, cannot get certain work done on the estate because it has not been taken in charge. Why does it take 12 years for a local authority to take an estate in charge when it has drawn down the bond?

Let us refer back to the local authorities and ask them if they keep a register of estates that are not taken in charge and if they have a programme set out as regards the end game. If one starts building an estate today and one takes out a bond, that bond is valued at the cost of completing the estate at the time one starts building the estate or within a reasonable time period of two to three years. However, if there are any delays by the local authority in pursuing the builder, the bond is no longer sufficient to cover that cost. That is the reason we should ask local authorities to have a register of estates that are not taken in charge and the timeframe.