Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. There has been recent media coverage about issues relating to boom time construction. I have been dealing with a group of residents in the Belmayne area. I am reluctant to name particular areas because of the reputational damage doing so can cause but we are at the stage where the relevant information is in media circles. It is time for action.

The Irish Timesreported this week about apartments in Clongriffin and about owners facing a bill of €826,000 to remedy serious fire safety issues found at their block. Residents have been informed that fire would not be contained within any compartment of the building for more than 30 minutes - rather than the 60 minutes required under the regulations - and the owners will have to pay between €4,246 and €6,676 per apartment to remedy the defects. A letter was recently circulated as a result of a public meeting I organised with my colleague, Mr. Shane Folan, in Belmayne. The letter was sent by the management company to residents. It outlined that the management company was due to proceed with an immediate fire safety inspection and it intended to complete a further survey of the balconies in the block. The management company has accepted that the balconies are defective. Further surveys will identify what repair work is required.

The residents want to know who is on their side. There is any amount of overlapping interest between management companies, developers, Dublin City Council and the fire officer. The residents want to know if the Government is on their side. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland is suggesting that the Government establish an emergency fund in order to assist these residents. I presume the Minister of State will agree that the owners of apartments which are proven to be defective should not be left out of pocket. Some of these residents have already been obliged to dish out €3,000 in order to find out if their apartments were affected by pyrite. These residents are victims of boom time construction which has proven to be defective. They want to know if the Government is going to be on their side. Is the Government going to advocate for them or is it going to wash its hands of this matter?

At the time of the Priory Hall issue, the former leader of the Labour Party and former Deputy, Eamon Gilmore, was proactive in meeting and talking with residents and anybody who could find solutions to that situation. We eventually found a solution, although not before a significant amount of hurt and upset were caused.One man was driven to take his own life at that time. I have met residents of the area repeatedly and they are under an understandable amount of stress. They wish and hope that the Government can assist them by providing some support and can be on their side. I am interested in hearing the Minister of State's view on the suggestion by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland that an emergency fund be established by Government to assist residents who, through no fault of their own, are out of pocket and living in apartments which are clearly not safe. Someone else is at fault here and I will be interested in hearing the Minister of State's response.