A Stormont minister has sought urgent legal advice on changing legislation on defective buildings in Northern Ireland following a controversy around Victoria Square apartments in Belfast.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said her DUP colleague and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons was "actively looking" at the potential for changing the law and would be reporting back to executive colleagues "very shortly".
Residents of the apartment complex in Belfast city centre left the premises in 2019 after structural issues were found. They have called on Stormont to extend a statutory time limit to enable them to take a new compensation claim.
Also speaking today, First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she expected another announcement by Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald in respect of the rates bills residents had been issued during the period when their properties were uninhabitable.
Earlier this month, a legal bid by the apartment owners was struck out in Belfast High Court after the judge ruled it fell outside the terms of existing legislation that required claims to be made within six years of the property's construction.
The case had been taken against architects involved in the design and two building companies. All deny any liability.
Residents had to leave the apartments in 2019 after a defect was identified in a structural column. They had been unable to return, but - in the years since - were still subject to paying certain bills, such as rates, for their properties.
A charity, Ulster Garden Villages, owns 54 of the 91 apartments in Victoria Square. The remaining properties are owned by individuals.
After the case was struck out, Assembly members have faced calls to change the law to extend the statutory time limit to 30 years.
The construction of the apartments, which sit above the Victoria Square shopping complex, was completed in 2008.
The limit for claims was extended from six years to 30 years in England and Wales two years ago.
Ms Little-Pengelly was asked about the issue during a visit to Lough Neagh today.
"I think there's been an incredible unfairness here," she said.
"I think we all feel that deep unfairness to those that are impacted by this. Those people understandably want action very quickly."
The deputy First Minister said at last week's Executive meeting, Ms Archibald and Mr Lyons were tasked with undertaking further work on the issue and reporting back "urgently" to ministerial colleagues.
"It will, as we understand it, require legislative change," she said.
"The Minister for Communities is actively looking at this at the moment, he's taking legal advice about that. He's very conscious of the timescales on this.
"So we are positive that we will have that detailed advice to the Executive and to us very, very shortly in terms of what action we can take to support those impacted by this unjustness."
Read more: No compensation for owners of defective Belfast apartments
Last week, Ms Archibald announced that the issuing of new rates bills and legal action for the non-payment of rates were being paused for the residents.
The First Minister said she anticipated further progress on the rates bills.
"This was something that we discussed at length at our Executive meeting last Thursday week, and since then, the Finance Minister has been able to make some positive announcements around the rates situation and, actually, we expect to have a more positive, more advanced position on that over the coming days," she said.
Ms O'Neill said Executive ministers would do "whatever we can" to help the residents.
"If it requires legislation, then that's what we need to do," she said.
"But we want to continue to make some progress. We've done that last week (on rates). We hope to do more in the days ahead. I believe the Finance Minister might be able to say more about that over the next 24 hours."
Environment Minister Andrew Muir, who accompanied the First and deputy First ministers on the visit to Lough Neagh, recalled a meeting with the residents last year.
"Obviously, this is a legally complex area," he added.
"There's a court judgment which was published last week around this, but there is a real collective desire amongst the ministers on the Executive to address the issues arising from this.
"And we feel the real, very, very, very difficult position the residents are in and there is a desire to do whatever we can to address what is an injustice."
