Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

This issue was being raised in the House, on behalf of thousands of predominantly young people, for two years in advance of the recent general election. Such people are experiencing problems with property companies and their agents which they could not have envisaged. Many of them are contractually wedded to such companies, often without having known in advance that they would be. These companies sometimes arbitrarily increase the fees they charge for services which are often illusory. Is the Minister saying that the Government, notwithstanding the commitment given by the Taoiseach more than 18 months before the general election, is still examining legislative proposals that might afford some protection to the owners of apartments etc., who find themselves in these circumstances? Is the Minister merely proposing to transfer the current licensing system to the new regulatory authority? Is he saying that a broader change is still being examined by the high-level group and is likely to take a considerable amount of time? While I appreciate the distinction the Minister is drawing between management property companies and their agents, I am not sure that young people with mortgages — who are up to their eyes in debt and are getting the run-around from such companies and their agents — will share his sympathy for that distinction. When a young property owner contacts a developer, he or she is usually told to contact the local authority, which refers him or her to the management company, which then refers him or her to the management agent. Young people are being sent back and forth from Billy to Jack without being given much relief from the conditions which oppress them.

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