Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

At least the people who go to Galway have a choice in doing so.

A significant amount of work has been done on this issue. The voluntary code of practice put in place by the Home Builders Association and the CIF enjoys an 80% compliance rate. The remaining 20% of builders leave a number of people open to being ripped off. As the Minister of State noted, the code applies to a wide range of organisations throughout the country. We are all in agreement that the practice must be stopped but it has been restricted to a relatively small part of the country. Throughout the country, 80,000 units are being built each year and in my own area, tens of thousands of units of apartments have been built over the past three years.

The Minister of State referred to the property services regulatory authority, which will have responsibility for the ongoing management of apartment complexes. A phenomenon has arisen in Dublin city and county whereby one-off houses are built in front and rear gardens and often paid for under the stage payments system. I am aware of a couple of instances in which three or four apartments have been constructed in a garden.

The practice of stage payments was the subject of a High Court case in 2001. The Government's ongoing contacts with the CIF is paying dividends and all sides now accept that the practice is not in consumers' interest. A house purchase is probably the biggest decision a person will make in his or her lifetime. We are all in agreement on that but it is a matter of choice as to how we address the issue. We could trundle through with legislation which we try to enforce in a small part of the country but in the vast majority of the country, the industry functions without the need for regulation. In most instances, builders charge a 10% deposit and the remainder on completion.

Despite the increase in houses built and, by extension, the profits made by many builders and developers, we have to accept that the boom cannot last because resources are limited in terms of space. There is sufficient serviced land to last an estimated six years, which is a relatively short length of time. We must look to the future by meeting the demand for housing.

There has been much innovation in terms of providing housing, particularly in respect of social and affordable houses. The latest partnership agreement, Towards 2012, specifically provides for 27,000 social units between 2007 and 2009, in addition to 17,000 affordable units. The Part V scheme for social and affordable housing has been of great benefit to inner city areas. I have witnessed huge improvements in Dublin people's living accommodation. Since 1997, €6.5 billion has been spent by local authorities on providing social and affordable housing. It was intended that Part V would come into effect over time and that been the case. A major difference is being made to Dublin's north side now that Part V units are being completed. As many of the sites in the docklands were developed prior to the introduction of the Planning and Development Act 2000, they have managed to avoid the Part V requirements. However, many more housing units will come on stream over the next 18 months to meet demand. By working closely with Dublin City Council, developers in the area will play an important part in that process.

The property services regulatory authority will have responsibility for property management companies, as well as auctioneers, valuers and estate agents. Oversight is needed in respect of these professions.

We will eventually reach an agreement to make stage payments an issue of the past in housing estates. It is wrong to introduce legislation at this stage. I am amused to hear the Labour Party jumping up and down and using the words "developer" and "builder" as if they were dirty when the vast majority are indigenous Irish companies which employ large numbers of Irish people. I make no bones about encouraging them and ask the Labour Party why we should not be trying to help the construction industry to employ as many people as it does. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is taking the correct approach on this issue and the Bill should be withdrawn.