Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this timely and opportune Bill. It will go a long way to crack down on the problem of unfinished housing developments. The Bill is the perfect remedy to the scandal of unfinished housing developments throughout the country. The developers appear totally indifferent to the concerns of residents, they are not put out by them at all. Thankfully, under the terms of this Bill, local authorities will be empowered to refuse planning permission to developers with bad track records. That is a welcome measure because unless sanctions are imposed, these cowboy developers will not comply with the authorities' requirements for completion prior to the estate being taken into the charge of the local authority.

It would be unfair to give the impression that all builders are the same. There are small numbers who are solely driven by profit and greed. We know who they are, their record is there for all to see. Regrettably, they can face the penalties that can be imposed and they do not deter them from doing the same thing again. They pay the fine and go on because it is well covered by the profit. A key component of this Bill, however, is that the local authority can deny planning permission to the developer who has a bad track record without having to go to court. This is important because if a county council must take on a builder in court, it costs the taxpayer money.

These developers buy properties in towns and then let them lie there and become derelict. It is a way to bank their money and by doing so they have destroyed many towns across the country. In Counties Cavan and Monaghan, no matter what town a person goes into, there will be five or six derelict houses. The developers have bought them and will let them lie there. It is better than money in the bank because they do not have to pay tax on them. They then get some relief for building on the derelict sites.

It is also important that infrastructure, such as schools and shops, is put in place for every housing development.

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