Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

To write to local authorities asking them to establish the approach being adopted generally by them is to do things the wrong way around. I agree with the previous speakers. We must establish what the legal position is and the Government and the House should tell local authorities what should happen. My information is that planning permission is granted to a developer and is a contract between the developer and the local authority. The contract with the purchaser requires a certificate of compliance, which is issued to the purchaser by the vendor. If certificates were provided wrongfully or fraudulently, that is where a case needs to be taken up.

I would welcome it if the bonds could be relied on, but if that is not the case and there is no other option for local authorities, which I do not accept, where does that leave people? I have seen how local authorities allowed the bonds to lapse and left housing estates and communities in an awful predicament. It is completely unsatisfactory and slipshod. Writing to them to ask about their approach is weak and wrong. I accept that the Minister of State is trying to deal with the matter but we need to come at it the other way around. We need to take a strong position and the message must go out loud and clear from the House that the ordinary householders who are in negative equity and paid over the mark for these houses are not liable for the outstanding bills left behind by developers, some of whom were rogue developers.

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