Brú na Sionna fire safety defects
Deputy Quinlivan raised major fire safety defects and repair bills facing owners in Brú na Sionna, and Deputy Ó Broin asked about a possible redress scheme for defective housing. The Minister expressed sympathy, noted existing building regulations measures, and said the housing Minister would reply directly.
Page 28 of the programme for Government commits to conducting a review of national building standards. The residents and owners of businesses in Brú na Sionna in Shannon town have become the latest community to join the list of those who have discovered fire safety problems in their homes and they are now facing substantial bills due to bad planning. Brú na Sionna is a complex of 240 units consisting of houses and apartments. Local Shannon councillor Mike McKee told me this morning that the management company is looking for sums ranging from €7,000 to €28,000 from each owner to address these issues, even if there are no actual problems with his or her own individual unit. This is disgraceful and follows numerous other issues with core building standards and fire problems across the country.
Will the Government commit to bringing forward legislation to enact the key recommendation in the "Safe as Houses" cross-party housing committee report, which calls for a redress fund funded by industry and State to support those residents in homes with latent defects where the builder has gone bust and access to HomeBond has expired?
Comment on this
On the same issue and very briefly-----
Comment on this
I have indeed. Yesterday the Taoiseach gave an indication for the first time that he is willing to look at a redress scheme, particularly where developers have gone bust and HomeBond has expired. Will the Minister bring it to Cabinet to actively discuss the Taoiseach's comments and to implement the recommendations of our joint committee report?
Comment on this
The best thing is for me to ask the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to reply to the two Deputies directly. Our hearts go out to anybody in Brú na Sionna or anywhere else who has found deficits with their houses. We have taken a number of measures including the introduction of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and a number of other steps. I will ask my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to revert to the House on the matter.