Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I understand that will be finalised shortly. Following that, the Goodbody report and the report of the all-party committee, Deputies can expect to see action. All three reports, and any other relevant analysis and research, will be considered in finalising a policy response to these issues.

The Government considers consumer issues as part of an effective market to be important. My Department works with all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that relevant consumer issues are considered and addressed. The Director of Consumer Affairs and the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority also have roles in this regard. A range of developments is under way which will benefit the overall consumer dimension of the housing market. For example, the Irish Home Builders' Association produced a code of practice in 1999 that deals with a number of consumer issues relating to housing, including booking deposits and stage payments. The code of practice covers about 80% of house builders in Ireland. It is also important to point out, from a quality of housing perspective, that the Irish National Survey of Housing Quality for 2001-2002, which was based on a survey of more than 40,000 completed questionnaires, showed that 92% of households are satisfied with the general condition of their accommodation.

The Law Reform Commission also published a report on gazumping in 1999 that examined the practice of taking booking deposits on the sale of new residential properties. The commission concluded that the current legal position, which does not confer any interest in property upon the payment of a booking deposit, generally benefits the purchaser more than the vendor.

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