Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 1 Apr 2003

Vol. 564 No. 1

Written Answers - House Prices.

Seán Crowe

Ceist:

146 Mr. Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the housing developer who advertised housing in the Tallaght area for ?198,000 on 20 March 2003 and when people, many of them first-time buyers, viewed the houses on 22 and 23 March 2003, the price had been increased to ?214,000; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this practice is becoming more common in the housing market; and the measures she proposes to take to eradicate so-called gazumping. [8715/03]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

I understand, from the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, that the advertisement in question makes reference to "prices from €198,950" and, on that basis, that the advertisement would not be considered misleading to a material degree. The matter of gazumping does not fall within my remit.