Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Recently, I visited the Balgaddy estate with my colleague, Eoin Ó Broin, where I met residents and had a tour of the general area. Balgaddy estate is a 400 unit social housing estate comprising three developments, namely, Meile An Rí, Buirg An Rí and Tor An Rí. It was built between 2004 and 2007 on the border of Lucan and Clondalkin. The design of the estate won awards from the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland in 2004. It was to be a model urban village with community facilities, employment opportunities and social and affordable housing. Today, for many of its residents Balgaddy is a nightmare.

From the very start, residents complained of damp, structural cracks inside and outside the houses, faulty heating systems and leaks from badly constructed roofs. The promised community facilities were never provided and units held over for this purpose remain vacant. So much for the social dividend that was promised. To date, the only facility provided is a children's play area which was completed recently, seven years after the residents moved in.

From the very beginning, Balgaddy residents raised their concerns with South Dublin County Council. When no adequate response from the council was forthcoming they formed the Balgaddy Working Together group in an attempt to force the council to meet its obligations. Seven years later, the residents are angry and frustrated at the false promises and neglect of the council, and rightly so.

In response to the inaction of the council, the group in conjunction with the Clondalkin Lucan area partnership commissioned independent engineers to carry out a survey of 40 properties in the estate. The report by Buckeridge Forristal Partnership Consulting Engineers was published in June and found significant damp and mould in many of the homes caused by roof leaks, faulty heating and plumbing and defective windows. The report recommended details of action on each of the issues concerned. The extent of the problems confirm without any doubt that these issues are structural and in need of a systematic and proactive response.

While primary responsibility for resolving the problems in Balgaddy rests with South Dublin County Council, the scale of the problem requires the involvement of the Minister of State and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Residents in Balgaddy have a right to live in decent and comfortable homes. The council has a legal responsibility to ensure its tenants live in adequate housing. Where a local authority is failing in this regard the Department has an obligation to intervene. Health and safety factors alone dictate that the Minister of State's intervention is necessary. Will he outline to the House today what he knows about the problems in Balgaddy and what action he and the Department can take to address the very real problems which blight the lives of hundreds of families in Balgaddy?

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Balgaddy was designed as an urban village scheme to include a mix of social, voluntary and private affordable dwellings. Five phases of construction were proposed in the Balgaddy scheme, for which a masterplan was prepared in the year 2000. A total of 400 units have been completed by Gama Construction Limited, the main contractor appointed by South Dublin County Council.

My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and planning, understands from the housing authority that issues have arisen which require remedial works on window sashes, roof flashings and external plaster cracks. There is also an issue with condensation and mould growth which arose as a result of increased insulation linked to ventilation levels required by the building regulations. In some cases condensation is a result of building fabric failure and in others by the pattern of tenant use.

In the past year, a considerable amount of work has been carried out by council staff, and contractors working on their behalf, to address all the issues arising. A dedicated team under the direction of the county architect is now systematically inspecting and evaluating the condition of all housing stock which has been subject of complaints and carrying out any necessary remedial works on a house by house basis. This process will continue until all affected units are addressed. Considerable progress has been made to date and is continuing. A pilot contract to replace window sashes in 14 units has been put in place.

A building survey was commissioned and carried out some months ago by BFP Consulting Engineers, a draft of which was received by the council in July. This is being reviewed against the council programme and any fresh information supplied is being factored into the ongoing work schedule. The contents of the report were broadly in line with the surveys carried out by council technical staff and already being addressed by on-site teams.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Representatives of the Balgaddy group are in the Gallery and what the Minister of State has described is not what they tell me is happening. In light of the serious concerns, supported by an independent report, will the Minister of State consider following up requests from me on behalf of the residents? Will he meet a delegation of the Balgaddy residents, preferably in Balgaddy, to discuss their concerns and to explore possible courses of action available to him to assist them in having their concerns addressed? Will he meet the South Dublin County Council director of housing, Billy Coman, and the county manager, Joe Horan, to discuss the situation and to ensure the concerns of the residents are adequately addressed? Will he ask his officials to prepare a report on the contents of the Buckeridge Forristal Partnership Consulting Engineers report, and an earlier report as yet unpublished commissioned by Cara Housing Association, into housing problems at Meile An Rí Drive and to make these reports available to the House? Will he organise an inspection of the houses in case an issue arises with regard to pyrite? I flag this just in case it needs to be addressed. Will he outline what powers and resources are available to him to intervene in this matter and assist South Dublin County Council and the residents of Balgaddy to address the many structural problems in their homes? A very high percentage of children and residents with disabilities live in the estate. The number is more than the national average. I urge the Minister of State to take on board these concerns and address them.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and I recognise the presence in the Gallery of the residents concerned. I will make the Deputy's request known to the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, who has responsibility for housing and planning, with regard to a meeting between him and the residents concerned. I am glad to inform the Deputy that on Monday I will meet Joe Horan and the staff of South Dublin County Council and I will raise the matter. Although I have no responsibility for this matter, it arises in the functional area in which I live and I have no difficulty in raising the matter with South Dublin County Council. I will send Joe Horan a copy of the Deputy's remarks and ask that the issue be addressed at our Monday meeting.

I presume the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is willing to examine any report. It should be published and does not need to be put in the library of the House. This is a housing authority function, and ultimately a matter for South Dublin County Council's housing department as the housing authority responsible. If it requests additional support from the Department I am sure the Department will consider it given all of the circumstances.

It is also fair to state that work has taken place. I am sure residents are of the view that not enough has happened but under the circumstances we must ensure the work continues and that the project work is mapped out in terms of time and resources so local people can see the mistakes, appalling and all as they are, can be resolved for the community so it is an area in which people want to live and of which they are proud. I will ensure the Minister of State is aware of the Deputy's comments.