Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Representatives of the Balgaddy group are in the Gallery and what the Minister of State has described is not what they tell me is happening. In light of the serious concerns, supported by an independent report, will the Minister of State consider following up requests from me on behalf of the residents? Will he meet a delegation of the Balgaddy residents, preferably in Balgaddy, to discuss their concerns and to explore possible courses of action available to him to assist them in having their concerns addressed? Will he meet the South Dublin County Council director of housing, Billy Coman, and the county manager, Joe Horan, to discuss the situation and to ensure the concerns of the residents are adequately addressed? Will he ask his officials to prepare a report on the contents of the Buckeridge Forristal Partnership Consulting Engineers report, and an earlier report as yet unpublished commissioned by Cara Housing Association, into housing problems at Meile An Rí Drive and to make these reports available to the House? Will he organise an inspection of the houses in case an issue arises with regard to pyrite? I flag this just in case it needs to be addressed. Will he outline what powers and resources are available to him to intervene in this matter and assist South Dublin County Council and the residents of Balgaddy to address the many structural problems in their homes? A very high percentage of children and residents with disabilities live in the estate. The number is more than the national average. I urge the Minister of State to take on board these concerns and address them.

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