Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Chair for the opportunity to contribute to this debate which affords us the chance to focus on the area of housing and multi-unit apartments. Anybody who has been in the political arena over the past ten or 12 years will have noticed the significant change in housing provision generally, whether with regard to standards or the expectations of those building, purchasing or renting.

Recently I looked over some statistics for my local authority area of Louth County Council. Twelve or 14 years ago if the planning office received 400 planning applications, it would have been doing well. Last year, it received in the region of 1,800 to 1,900 planning applications. The increase has been consistently on an upward trend over recent years. This is a graphic illustration of what is happening around the country.

County Louth is in the Dublin-Belfast corridor and as a result has seen a phenomenal change in population. CSO figures from the mid-1950s show there were fewer than 70,000 people in the county. The 2002 census showed there were 102,000 and I am sure that figure will have increased when we get the result of the forthcoming census.

This Bill was brought forward by a constituency colleague, Deputy O'Dowd. In many ways, it identifies an area in which there has been very significant change. In the past ten years, almost 100,000 multi-unit apartments have been built, whether for purchase or private rental. They are now part and parcel of our housing accommodation provision. Inevitably, the issue of the management of these multi-unit apartments comes sharply into focus.

When one looks at existing legislation it is obvious that significant legislation has been brought forward by the Government but clearly the development and evolution of a satisfactory template for the management of such units is an ongoing process. The Minister is being quite prudent in his approach to this general area by asking the Law Reform Commission to examine legislation that covers conveyancing, company law, management agents and so forth. These are all elements of the issues that arise for those who have bought units in multi-unit blocks. One must remember that the management of such units is important because the assets in which individuals have invested could be blighted by unsatisfactory management, interference by the developer or by mismanagement, as referred to by Deputy Glennon earlier.

With regard to mixed tenant developments where privately owned units are side by side with local authority units, it is important that section 14 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2002 is respected and adhered to in such circumstances because the potential for a breakdown of working relationships is obvious.

The Minister's approach towards this legislation is wise and prudent. Let us take our time and ensure that the ultimate template that will be applied in these circumstances is based on practical experience. We must remember that multi-unit apartments are a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland. Consequently, the experience garnered and the application of that experience to new regulatory structures will be vitally important going forward.

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