Tough legislation to deal with "cowboy" builders who fail to finish private housing estates will be introduced this summer, according to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey.

The Minister is to introduce the Bill which will apply retrospectively to builders who have already left estates which are not properly completed in line with the planning permission granted.

Although the Minister condemned builders who failed to finish estates properly, the Opposition criticised him for failing to accept legislation by Mr Sean Kenny (Labour, Dublin North East) which they said could be introduced before the local elections next month.

Mr Kenny said there were young people, mortgaged to the hilt, who were being "abused and black-guarded" by cowboy builders every day of the week. He referred to one builder who, he said, had built hundreds of houses in five estates and had finished none of them.