Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Glenma housing estate in Croom, County Limerick, has 43 houses which were built by the National Building Agency in 1973. Some 35 houses are privately owned and Limerick County Council owns the remaining eight, of which five are occupied, while three remain unoccupied. That these have remained unoccupied for a period of time has led to a variety of problems.

The houses are of flat roof construction with metal cladding. Recently I called there and met many of the tenants. They are extremely annoyed and disappointed that no work has been carried out even though approval has been granted by the Department since 14 May 2002. Many of the private owners are understandably furious because they have had them for a considerable period of time and now are being forced to take out loans of up to €100,000 to carry out appropriate repairs. They have good cause to be annoyed because of the defects in the houses. The works will include new pitched roofs to replace the existing flat roofs, the recladding of external walls, rewiring, installation of central heating as well as improvements in windows and doors. Not all the purchasers of these houses are interested in availing of the refurbishment work. The deterrent in some cases is the prohibitive cost involved.

I believe the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in conjunction with Limerick County Council, should review the prohibitive financial demands on the residents. Concern has been also expressed that the works carried out could mean some rows of houses in the estate will have pitch roofs, while others will retain flat roofs. This will not add to the visual attractiveness of the estate. The original individual design of the houses, and the inherent defects, are the fault of the National Building Agency. Can it walk away from this? The Minister should bring the agency to task. It should be made account for its work rather than placing a cruel financial burden on those who were encouraged to purchase their houses.

It was obvious the estate infrastructure was neglected. The road structure is particularly defective. I understand Limerick County Council has stated it will not carry out these works until the houses are finished. This is unfair. There should be no impediment to road resurfacing works being carried out in the estate. I will press the council on this issue and look forward to the Minister of State's reply.