Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again confirm that we will revise the planning legislation in the autumn and plan to strengthen and streamline the taking-in-charge protocols and processes to assist local authorities to deal with the many legacy issues the Deputy has outlined.

Strong progress has been made with estates that local authorities have registered as unfinished. More than 3,000 such unfinished estates were registered in 2011. They have been resolved to the extent that there are now fewer than 900 throughout the country with the help of the special resolution funds and funds put in place by local authorities. That is not to confuse it with the taking in charge of estates where there are many legacy issues, including infrastructure deficits, and developers or builders having gone off site. Those legacy issues have to be dealt with by the local authorities, which have the appropriate powers to pursue developers to ensure that those estates are finished to a proper standard. Every citizen living in an estate is entitled to a house that is finished to a high quality and a proper standard. Developers and builders have a responsibility in this regard. Local authorities have the appropriate powers to pursue them in the interests of citizens.

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