Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

The Minister of State probably heard me engaging with the Taoiseach in respect of this matter on the Order of Business. At present, 250 residents - including 65 families - from Priory Hall are living in hotel accommodation. Through no fault of their own, these people have almost become refugees in their own country. Is the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government prepared to take action tonight to try to source alternative apartments for the individuals to whom I refer. It appears the period for remedial works will last until early January at least. Mothers, fathers and young children have been displaced from their immediate parish. They are being obliged to travel back and forth and live, in a sense, from hand to mouth. Is the Minister of State to take immediate action to source alternative accommodation for these people? I remind him that in the North Fringe district, where Priory Hall is located, there are at least 700 to 800 empty apartments and houses. Will he afford priority to this matter in the first instance?

Is the Department confident that Mr. Thomas McFeely, Coalport Building Company Limited and Mr. Lawrence O'Mahony possess the professional ability necessary to carry out the remediation repairs - particularly those which relate to electrical installations and others which relate to fire safety issues - required at Priory Hall? No one, least of all the displaced residents, has any confidence in what those to whom I refer might do.

With regard to the financial aspect of this matter, it has been stated that Mr. McFeely's assets have effectively been frozen. However, questions appear to have arisen in the context of how the remediation works are to be funded. Will the taxpayers of this city and their counterparts throughout the country be asked to foot the bill in respect of the problems that have arisen on foot of the disgraceful and despicable behaviour in which those to whom I refer engaged?

Dublin City Council is the building control authority and fire safety authority in this instance. A crazy self-certification process has obtained since 1990 and I hope, in the context of building control, this will be abolished. Dublin City Council bought at least 16 of the units at Priory Hall and had tenants in 14 others - seven under the rental accommodation scheme and seven under the social and affordable housing scheme. Does the Minister of State intend to initiate an investigation to discover how the council, which was involved in the certification process, was able to purchase such a large number of properties but was not in a position to identify the blatant faults that existed?

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