Sir, – A Government report is suggesting that the cost of building remediation works cannot be pushed back to the developers. Aside from the obvious issue of who is going to pay, there is a serious issue of moral hazard occurring should developers not pay for their previous cost-saving decisions. In recent times we have seen issues with fire safety, pyrite and mica, among others. If the taxpayer or hard-pressed owner pays to resolve these issues, where is the incentive for the developer not to do it again?
The self-certification system needs to change immediately so these situations do not arise again, especially when the costs of building are at an all-time high. Many of these issues would not be caught when the property is first purchased as a buyer of a new property is unlikely to get it surveyed, although these issues are often hidden and might not be caught anyway.
Fire-safety hazards have occurred in apartment blocks leading to potentially very dangerous situations but also discouraging further purchase of apartments, which are an essential element of housing strategy going forward. It is time for the Government to be more involved in development both through regulation and actual development of housing as the laissez-faire option of letting the private sector work it out is not working for the many. – Yours, etc,
NIAMH BYRNE,
Fairview,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Once again due to “light-touch regulation” the taxpayer is on the hook for up to €3 billion to remediate some 80,000 apartments.
In an Irish Times article on October 19th, 2011, Frank McDonald stated that building control in Ireland relies on self-certification. This regulatory regime was introduced by the then minister of the environment. He went on to detail the potential fire-safety shortcomings, which are the main problem today.
When will we be rid of this “light-touch regulation” which has led to failures in the insurance, banking and construction industries?
The taxpayer has had enough. – Yours, etc,
ALAN McCARTHY,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Between mica and shoddy building practices, the taxpayer will be liable for an absolute minimum of €5 billion to €7 billion for rectification work to clean up the mess created by the construction industry.
It is claimed we can’t do anything to seek financial compensation from those who built dangerous housing or supplied faulty materials, due to weak laws.
Perhaps we can’t do anything about the past, but we certainly can do something about the future.
This can be done by making individual construction workers, engineers, construction companies and company owners personally liable, in perpetuity, for shoddy construction and materials with heavy fines reflecting their pay levels, and jail sentences, for allowing shoddy design or work.
Unless developers and those who work for them are made personally liable and can’t hide behind limited liability status, the next generation of buildings will be as poorly built as the last lot.
I doubt anyone paying astronomical prices for 2022 buildings will be happy to know that any guarantee given to them by their builder is worthless, but under present legislation, that is the case.
Isn’t it time for the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party to rectify this situation of shoddy construction industry bad practice once and for all, and bring in robust legislation which makes individuals, as well as companies, personally liable for bad workmanship and materials supply, and protect the hard-pressed property purchaser and the taxpayer?
Or will we be reading of more dangerous fire-hazard buildings being rectified at taxpayers’ expense because our politicians won’t do their job? – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.