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

I assure the Deputy and the House of this Government's commitment in respect of the important policy area of building defects, which is reflected both in the programme for Government and in Housing for All. This Government is committed to dealing with the issue of defects in housing. In this regard, we will continue to drive regulation in the construction sector and more sustainable methods of construction to ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

I am of the view that the issues in addressing defects in apartments requires detailed consideration and the working group the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has established is the most appropriate forum for considering the complex range of issues involved, as the Deputy has outlined. I have already mentioned the working group's focus on significant widespread fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013.

While I appreciate this work may not be proceeding as fast as some stakeholders may wish, it is important we give the working group sufficient time to undertake the work as set out in its broad-ranging terms of reference. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, looks forward to receiving the report of the working group when it has concluded its deliberations.

The Deputy is correct in the sense that some of these defects are not as visible as we would have found with pyrite or mica. Nonetheless, they are equally distressing to the families and residents who have bought properties in good faith. In that regard, the working group report will be critically important in plotting a way forward to try to resolve the many issues. They could be quite significant throughout many of the properties that were built during the Celtic tiger. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is deeply committed to trying to resolve these with all of the stakeholders.

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