Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)

It is clear we do not have a robust system in place. The reality is that the houses of tens of thousands of people are literally falling down. To say it is a legal issue is not good enough. We have regulations but the Minister does not have the staff on the ground to implement those regulations. At the height of the boom there were two building enforcement officers in north Kildare, one of the fastest growing areas, and a similarly small number in Fingal. Since then we have had fewer staff, and we have lost many staff in local authorities. How will these regulations be enforced? There is no answer to that question. The victims are the people whose houses are falling down and the cost to society will be far greater unless we intervene now.

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