Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This debate, which will no doubt be well-watched by the families and individuals at the centre of the legislation, is critical. I hope the Bill brings an end to their wait for much-needed support. Last week our Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage held a special eight-hour session where we heard from industry experts, including the SCSI; the Institution of Engineers Ireland; departmental officials; the Housing Agency; and the chair of the expert working group. Most importantly, we heard from the representatives of the families affected by defective blocks, many of whom are with us today. We heard from the Mica Action Group in Donegal, the Clare Pyrite Action Group and the Mayo Pyrite Action Group.

I have seen first-hand in homes in my constituency walls bloating and cracks that often appeared overnight but that become gaping constant reminders of how insecure someone's home is. Imagine living in a home you do not feel safe in, a home where you know the creaks and the cracks are not just a house settling but a house starting to crumble. Imagine going to bed every night knowing that the structure of your home is unstable. That is the reality for many families whose homes were built by blocks that have turned out to be defective. Imagine the anger you would feel knowing the quarries are not being held to account and from having to campaign for years to access funding to remedy things. Families impacted by mica and pyrite have waited long enough. They need this legislation passed and this funding provided and they need it yesterday.

This Bill contains many welcome changes to the original scheme. It is important to acknowledge that these changes were made in response to feedback from affected homeowners and that the changes were recommended by the expert working group, chaired by Paul Forde. Those changes include the likes of retrospective inclusion; an appeals process; a legal footing for the certificate of remediation; and the Housing Agency taking on the cost of the testing. This Bill has at its core an ambition to provide a fair and equitable solution to all homeowners affected by defective blocks and that includes homeowners in Clare and Limerick now too.

I know the Minister has a wider ambition to make sure that this never happens again. That is why it was so concerning to hear from a chartered engineer in the joint committee that a quarry in the south-east is still operating at fault. This cannot be let continue. Our committee has written to the building condition assessment office to escalate this accusation because if that is still going on then there is no excusing it. I know the Minister is doing a lot of work on the regulation of providers of building works Bill and that work is crucial because if there is one thing we have learned from the nightmares that these families have been living through, it is that we cannot allow this to ever happen again. The same is true of construction companies that have left thousands of apartment owners in similar positions, including some of my constituents in apartments in Lucan, many of whom were already in debt due to remediation costs.

They need to be treated fairly too.

In terms of the fair and equitable package for homeowners we are discussing, we need to face up to the reality of inflation. The funding model for this scheme was based on a comprehensive body of work carried out by the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and I thank that society's volunteers who gave so much time and expertise to help these families. However, there is no denying that Ireland is in a different space from where we were in February. Inflation is a reality and those costs cannot be let spiral. Given how much construction costs have increased since the funding model was drawn up, it is critical we ensure payments are adequate, fair and equitable, even now, because these families need to access the right amount of money to build safe homes, the homes they deserve and should have got in the first place.

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