To ask the Minister of Finance whether his Department is planning to introduce legislation proposals to protect freeholders against service charges and other fees and charges.

During the previous mandate, my Department undertook preliminary work in the context of developing legislation around shared property managers, including registration of such companies and codes of conduct. However, a lack of consensus on aspects of the detail of such legislation, coupled with limitations on available resources, has meant that it has not been progressed further to date.

Subject to competing resources and Executive priorities, officials within the Department intend to liaise again with other colleagues in Government with a view to establishing agreement upon which firm policy proposals can be finalised. Although there is insufficient time left in the course of this mandate to develop and finalise a Bill and take it through the various stages in the Assembly, further work is planned that will permit an incoming Executive to consider this issue next year.