Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State is welcome. I have a specific question that has been a source of concern to people in Oranmore, County Galway, for quite a number of years. I am putting the question in order that the Minister of State might come back to me with a written response. She referred to unfinished housing estates. I will describe what is a very dangerous situation. The situation makes this estate, Oranhill, in Oranmore, an unfinished housing estate, but it is not classified as such for the household charge. There is a hole in this estate big enough to bury Leinster House. This hole was intended for a huge shopping centre development. It is cordoned off from the 250 houses in the estate, but not adequately. There is a safety issue and a serious visual issue which affect values and deter prospective buyers in what is a very nice area.

A few years ago, I tried to follow this up with the developer in this case. He was nice initially and then was not a bit nice. What is his responsibility? This estate cannot be taken over by Galway County Council. What protection is there for the residents? I note the report of the advisory group on unfinished housing development and also what the Minister of State has said about a national co-ordination committee. Can the Minister of State ask her officials to come back to me on this issue? Given the size of the hole, why is the estate classified as finished? Can that classification be reviewed?