Unfinished estates must get priority

I COMMEND the Irish Examiner for its investigation of unfinished housing estates (April 6-8).

Your series highlighted a feature of the recession that impacts directly on communities throughout the country.

It is vital the Government gives this issue the kind of priority it has given to bailing out the banks that lent money to the developers who, in turn, built many of these estates.

My party, Labour, has proposed that measures should be taken to help residents in unfinished estates.

We would legislate to reduce the time limit on initiating proceedings to force developers to complete estates.

There are other steps that may need to be taken at national and local level to alleviate the situation and the information you provided is very helpful in highlighting the extent of the problem.

However, I note from your series that some local authorities did not provide you with figures for the number of unfinished estates in their areas, including Cork County Council.

I believe it is unsatisfactory that all county and city councils would not have this information readily and publicly available.

I call on the Minister for the Environment to ensure all local authorities are required to make available information about the number of unfinished estates in their areas as a first step to tackling this important issue.

Senator Michael McCarthy

Clonakilty Road

Dunmanway

Co Cork