Jimmy Harte (Labour)

With regard to the call for the Minister of State with responsibility for housing to attend the House to discuss Priory Hall in particular and cowboy builders in general, this problem is a product of the Celtic tiger. The taxpayer will pay the bill for Priory Hall and other similar building problems in every other county.

I ask the Minister of State to contact every county manager and planning office and ask them to review all the building projects they consider might be compromised. This is a huge problem. The bill will run into billions of euro. I do not know what it would cost to demolish and rebuild Priory Hall or to relocate the residents. The cost of relocation is only part of the cost. There is also the humiliation of families having to carry their goods out of their homes in plastic bags to the backs of cars and go to a hotel. This was not their fault and there has not been a flood or natural disaster. The recklessness of a developer and his associates is to blame, and we know who they are.

The judge in the case said this was one of the worst cases for centuries. No one has ever been evicted from their home in this country. Yesterday, people were evicted from their homes.

The previous Government must take responsibility. They may blame the builder, who is a convicted person of ill-repute. He is, ultimately, seen as a fool who has cost money to the economy and hardship to young families and elderly people who should not have to go through this.