Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the groups to the Gallery. On behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, I thank Deputies who have contributed to the debate. We can all agree that many homeowners and residents of apartments and duplexes have found themselves in a difficult, stressful position when defects arise in their buildings through no fault of their own. As the Minister stated on a number of occasions in this House, the Government is determined to grasp this nettle. We are committed to providing support to affected homeowners.

Given the personal impact of these problems on the homeowners involved, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, would like to reach a broad political consensus on these vital issues. In this regard, he has written to Opposition leaders to request their specific written input on options laid out in the report and any additional steps which they believe should be undertaken to meet this challenge. The Minister thanks those who have responded to date and encourages those who have yet to do so to submit their proposals for consideration as soon as possible. The Minister would like to see practical details included in these proposals and has requested, in particular, relevant detail on administration, implementation and costings to accompany the proposals. I acknowledge the calls for homeowners and residents who need support at the earliest opportunity.

I assure the House that the Government is committed to addressing this issue as a priority. The Government's commitment is demonstrated by the fact that one of the first actions of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was to establish the working group to examine defects in housing. This was an important initial step, as it was the first time that we could establish the scale of the issue. I am grateful to all members of this working group for the considerable work they undertook in a relatively short time. We can all agree that the scale of the issue is quite substantial, in that the number of apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013 which are affected by fire safety, structural safety or water ingress defects is likely to be between 50% and 80%. This equates to between 62,500 and 100,000 apartments and duplexes which were built in this period. Given that the average cost to remediate defects is likely to be approximately €25,000 per apartment, that translates into a potential overall cost for remediation of between €1.56 billion and €2.5 billion.

It is no small task to determine how best to put in place support for affected homeowners in a fair and measured way. To this end, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has put a number of measures in place to progress the matter. On 27 September, he brought a memo to the Government to inform it of the content of the report and the next steps that he will take. He has committed to reverting to the Government by the end of the year with specific proposals. Second, an interdepartmental and agency group has been established to consider the recommendations contained in the working group's report and to elaborate on the options for potential sources of financial support and the potential channels for deployment contained in the report. This interdepartmental group and agency has been asked to revert with proposed delivery mechanisms for the deployment of funding and to develop an options paper which will assist the Minister in developing proposals to present to the Government before the end of the year.

Third, an advisory group has been established to develop a code of practice in the context of the fire safety legislation to provide guidance to building professionals, local authority building controls services and local authority fire services. Fourth, the Department is engaging with the Housing Agency about the provision of advice on the implementation of the recommendations of the working group's report. In parallel, the Minister has corresponded with homeowner representative groups and is committed to keeping them updated on progress. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, held his most recent meeting with the Construction Defects Alliance and Apartment Owners Network earlier today. To ensure that he hears from as broad a range of affected homeowners as possible, the Minister is planning to host a webinar next Monday evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. to facilitate an exchange of views.

In light of the insurance issues that have been brought to the Minister's attention, he met Insurance Ireland to discuss the issue of defects and to advise on the steps he is planning to take. As is evident from the detail I have just outlined to the House, a considerable amount of work has been undertaken. This reflects the urgency that the Government believes is necessary to address this issue for affected homeowners. This is in the context of the finding of the working group that there is no single cause of defects. The working group concluded that defects tend to arise for a variety of design, product, inspection, supervision and workmanship issues, occurring either in isolation or various combinations. However, as recognised by the working group in its report, given that the overall potential scale and estimated cost of fixing the problem is so considerable, it would take many years to address all affected buildings. Therefore, resources and works will need to be prioritised. In this regard, it would not be appropriate for those in charge of affected buildings to delay the undertaking of any remediation works that are considered necessary for safety. Given the scale of the apartments potentially affected, the defects working group advised on the importance of planning, prioritising and adequately resourcing any programme to address defects. I know the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will bring specific proposals to the Cabinet, followed by new legislation, interim measures and administrative processes to respond to the report of the working group and to examine defects in housing as quickly as possible.

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