Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter which continues to affect the lives of thousands of families across the country. Despite the enormity of the problem the Government inherited, we have made significant progress in alleviating some of the problems associated with unfinished housing estates across the country, a large number of which are to be found in County Cork.

Progress to date on unfinished housing developments has required a multi-faceted approach which has included the establishment of an advisory group on unfinished housing developments, the publication of a report in 2011, Resolving Ireland's Unfinished Housing Developments, and the establishment of a €5 million fund under the public safety initiative. To date, there are 167 estates within the initiative, in respect of which submissions have been received in the case of 150. So far, there have been approvals of funding totalling €3.21 million for 132 developments, with a further 35 estates to be allocated funds. We expect the final outturn to be in the order of €3.5 million.

The establishment of the national co-ordination committee on unfinished housing developments, chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, has delivered a code of practice for stakeholders which defines the rights, responsibilities and inter-relationships of the key parties involved. It has published a guide for residents living in unfinished housing developments, formulated site resolution plans for stakeholders in estates to agree the aspects of their developments which remain incomplete and require resolution, and established a legislative review group to review legislation with a view to strengthening or amending provisions to take account of the issues associated with unfinished housing developments. It is also examining the issue of bonds and their adequacy in the light of recent experience.

The national housing development surveys in 2010 and 2011 established an authoritative baseline analysis of unfinished housing developments to assist in fully understanding the scale and extent of the issues involved. The 2012 national housing development survey is under way and will prove to be an invaluable resource in monitoring the current state of the housing market and inform the future direction of our policies in this area.

The Minister of State is totally committed to this agenda and takes a particular interest in all aspects of resolving the spectrum of issues which have arisen. The issues surrounding unfinished housing developments are numerous and it will take some time and a lot of effort to resolve them. The initiatives I have outlined demonstrate the determination of the Government to tackle these difficulties and reintroduce equilibrium to the housing construction sector which will, in time, allow it to revert to a position where it will function properly.