Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Carrigy and the autism committee on their work on the interim report on summer provision. It is an excellent report which sets out the ambitions we need to have in relation to supporting families with consistent summer provision.

There was an article today in the Irish Examiner about fire safety defects in the phase 1 Phoenix Park Racecourse apartments, which were completed around 2008. They join about 90,000 or 100,00 other apartments and duplexes affected by fire safety, water ingress and structural issues. These families face pressure, uncertainty, fear and financial insecurity about how they will look after the basic need for safety in their own homes. We need to see the proposals committed to by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on this. The working group put its report to the Government in July. It is an excellent report but we need to see what options are there to support these families. You read things like a developer is not liable because the defects are over seven years old. The developer is still building Phoenix Park Racecourse and it will have over 200 homes. Those proposals have to be retrospective because people and families cannot wait any more for financial supports.