Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I will take this issue on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Dublin City Council is the designated authority with powers to enforce the statutory requirements arising under the Fire Safety Act, the Building Control Acts and the Planning and Development Acts, all of which are at issue in relation to Priory Hall. The council is also the designated housing authority under the Housing Acts. The Minister and the Department must respect the independence of the designated statutory authority in these matters and cannot interfere in individual cases. The Minister's responsibility is to ensure that appropriate statutory requirements, technical standards and administrative provisions are put in place under the various Acts. This responsibility has been fulfilled and is not in dispute. The Minister has no role in enforcement activity or the direct provision of housing services.

Residents at Priory Hall and their representatives have previously been advised of this clear division of responsibilities. The consistent advice given has been that the appropriate statutory powers in this case rest with Dublin City Council and that neither the Minister nor the Department has a statutory function in enforcement activity or in determining the provision of services in individual cases. This is and will remain the position. While this may be a source of disappointment to the residents, it is important that the Minister act appropriately and within his powers, particularly in cases such as this which are already the subject of legal proceedings.

Notwithstanding this clear division of responsibilities, the Department is being been kept informed by Dublin City Council of developments with regard to the resolution of issues at Priory Hall. At the Minister's request, the Department has assisted the council, in consultation with NAMA, in securing alternative housing for many of the residents. The overriding priority is to ensure the optimum outcome for the households concerned and to facilitate as early as possible a return to their own homes. In this respect it will be necessary to ensure that these homes are made fit for purpose and that the costs of so doing fall where they should. The Minister has asked Dublin City Council to do all within its powers to achieve this objective and has asked the Department to continue to liaise closely with Dublin City Council in this regard.

The Minister believes that Dublin City Council deserves much credit for the efforts it has made on behalf of the affected residents and he urges the Council to continue to meet and communicate with the residents and to take all reasonable steps to support them while they are vulnerable. The legal proceedings relating to Priory Hall are continuing and it would be entirely inappropriate to anticipate their conclusion.

On the North Fringe, specific responsibility for the planning and delivery of this development rests with the local authorities involved, Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council.

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