Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion for debate and I thank my colleague in the Technical Group, Deputy Joe Higgins from the Socialist Party, for the work he has done on this issue. Most especially, I thank my Independent colleague, Deputy Catherine Murphy, for pursuing this issue with vigour since she was elected to this House. Her efforts have succeeded in bringing the matter to the forefront and it is now receiving the attention it deserves.

It is gratifying to see how the political parties keep the work of Independent Deputies under review and to see how the Labour Party, in this instance, has taken its lead from the Independents.

The reluctance of local authorities, with the imprimatur of the Government and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to take in charge housing estates has led to the situation we are in today. Local authorities no longer feel an obligation to take estates in charge but rather feel quite justified in imposing conditions on planning permission requiring management companies to be set up, with the result that individuals struggling with mortgage repayments and service charges are also burdened with the costs associated with such companies. This situation is a cop-out on the part of the local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and is being abused by developers. There is only one way to deal with this. The local authorities must ensure that estates are constructed in compliance with planning permission, building regulations and to an overall high standard of construction. When estates are completed, the authorities must take the developments in charge, either at the request of the developer or the residents.

Unfinished housing estates are a blight throughout Ireland. They are the cause of major hassle for residents, who feel totally powerless to better their lot when faced with the stubborn resistance of ruthless builders who have no conscience when it comes to living up to their obligations. Estates which are supposedly complete, but not to an acceptable standard, are also a blight and can cause grief for residents. If we had a properly resourced policing system, we would eliminate all of this hassle. Residents are entitled to be protected by legislation. We have legislation on the Statute Book which could eliminate many of the problems but unfortunately, the local authorities are not properly resourced to implement the terms of the most recent building control regulations. This scandal should be rectified now. It should also be a priority for the Minister to immediately instruct local authorities to use their resources wisely and prudently in the limited number of inspections they are currently carrying out. It is absolutely nauseating to see local authority personnel abuse their position in hounding young couples who, for example, do not have the money to provide a parking area outside their dwelling, as per the conditions of the planning permission, while at the same time, big developers get away with totally unfinished estates. The incident with the young couple to which I referred came about because an employee of the local authority had a disagreement with them.

See this speech in context