Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I have listened to my colleague, Deputy Gilmore, year after year giving the figures for affordable houses. There were practically none until last year. There are approximately 3,500 this year. In fact, up to the start of last year a total of 250,000 houses were built but only 1% of them were affordable houses. That is an appalling statistic.

There is a need for huge reform of how we plan and develop our future households and commercial development. With regard to the north fringe, the north fringe forum — I pay tribute to Mr. Clive Brownlee, formerly of Guinness, who is the chairperson, and the local area manager, Declan Wallace — has tried to keep tabs on this bolted horse, as it were, and is desperately, along with the other stakeholders and agencies such as the HSE, the Department of Education and Science, Beaumont Hospital and Dublin Bus, trying to get services for the area where development is proceeding at a fast rate. There must be a better way to do this. It is one of the great scandals of my time in politics that we have not been able to plan new housing in a coherent and supportive way by including all the additional necessary services. If I and the Minister ever meet on the central boulevard of that development in five or ten years time, I hope we will not regret not taking proper responsibility for the area at the appropriate time.

I welcome the comments Deputy Haughey made about the fire safety regulations. Today's newspaper shows that, at long last, the services appear to be responding more vigorously. The newspaper reports that a proprietor was prosecuted for locking doors of the premises during a function. Given the incredible carnage at the Stardust 25 years ago, it is appropriate that this should occur. I hope the full inquiry everybody is seeking will take place.

I welcome the Part 2 initiatives in the Bill, particularly the fire safety certificates, the regularisation certificates, the disability access certificate for part M and the move towards summary prosecution in the District Court. These are basic requirements to ensure that new buildings will meet a fundamental standard. As I stated, our concern is that recent buildings do not meet this standard. Section 6 contains a provision for appeal to An Bord Pleanála with regard to disability access certificates and fire safety certificates. Why is this the case? Why do we need this type of appeal? Given the importance of access and protection from fire disasters, why should the local control authority not be in a position to simply implement its enforcement, and leave it at that?

I welcome the legal transposition of Directive 2002/91/EC of 16 December and the implications this has with regard to energy performance ratings for new housing stock and will have for such ratings for older housing stock from 1 January 2009. Until recently, many households had appalling energy efficiency standards. Very often, the lower the household income, the less well it was insulated and heated. I welcome the fact that Energy Action Ireland, through Government funding, is providing insulation for free to senior citizens. I commend the Minister for this initiative and hope it will be extended.

My party, of which I am energy spokesperson, believes that householders and individuals have a grave responsibility for their own energy footprint and carbon dioxide emissions. The implementation of the directive through this legislation will be an important step in encouraging people to take responsibility for their own and their households' carbon footprint. I welcome the measure and hope it will be vigorously implemented.

I welcome the Bill and commend the Minister. I hope it will be the first of a series of Bills which will in the coming years try to avoid the mistakes that have happened and are happening in vast areas of our cities and towns.

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