Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I offer the Acting Chairman best wishes with her chairmanship. Well done.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an t-ábhar seo a ardú. I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for raising this issue. I acknowledge the difficulties the residents of the Metropolitan apartment complex are facing and the stress that is caused when fire safety issues arise in regard to their buildings.

Local authorities have powers of inspection and enforcement under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. They work with management companies and other stakeholders to ensure that appropriate levels of fire safety are achieved. Those in control of premises have obligations for fire safety in the premises and to comply with enforcement actions taken by fire authorities. As local authorities are independent in exercising these powers, it is not for the Minister to comment on the issues in this particular complex. However, this is not the only development affected by fire safety issues, as the Deputy stated, and there have been many incidences of failures and non-compliance concerns coming to light in apartment buildings built during the building boom. For this reason, the programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing. These commitments are further supported by actions contained in Housing For All.

In this context, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, established a working group to examine defects in housing under the chairmanship of Mr. Seamus Neely, former chief executive of Donegal County Council. The plenary working group has been meeting monthly since March 2021, with the exception of August, in addition to sub-group meetings. The group's terms of reference were adopted in May 2021 and are focused on purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013 in Ireland. This particular complex falls into that category. The Minister considers it worthwhile to summarise the terms of reference for the information of the House. These are as follows: to examine defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations in item No. 4, "Addressing the legacy of bad building and poor regulation", in chapter 4 of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government report, “Safe as Houses? A Report on Building Standards, Building Controls and Consumer Protection”; to establish the nature of significant, widespread fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013 in Ireland; to establish the scale of the issue, which will include work to estimate the number of dwellings affected by the defects identified, including those already remediated; to consider a methodology for the categorisation of defects and the prioritisation of remedial action; to suggest mechanisms for resolving defects; to evaluate the potential cost of technical remediation options; and to pursue options on possible financial solutions to effect a resolution, in line with the programme for Government commitment to identify options for those impacted by defects to access low-cost, long-term finance.

As part of its deliberations, the working group is consulting with a wide range of relevant stakeholders. Included in the stakeholder engagement was a series of online surveys between 31 January and 14 March 2022 seeking the experiences of homeowners, landlords, directors of owners' management companies and property management agents. These submissions are currently being analysed.

The insights gained through engagement with stakeholders, as well as the outcome of the online consultation, will inform the ongoing deliberations of the working group and support the delivery on its extensive terms of reference and finalisation of its report to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is satisfied that the group is working effectively and efficiently on this complex matter and looks forward to a report later this year. I assure the Deputy that once the Minister receives the report of the working group, full consideration will be given to its contents.

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