Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

This Bill has being doing the rounds of the Houses for more than a year. Significant provisions have been inserted into it in the last week or two, so four hours for debate is not sufficient given the intent of the Bill and the direction it will give to the housing sector in future years.

Does the Government intend to bring legislation forward to deal with the protection of deposits paid by home buyers? This relates to a story in The Irish Times this morning which reports that Laragan Development Ltd. has gone broke and left 100 depositors high and dry. Anglo Irish Bank is one of the stakeholders in this development for €3.5 million, so the State, as the new owner of Anglo Irish Bank, also has a stakeholding.

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