Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I have met many people about this matter. In early 2017, people in the Beacon South Quarter in my constituency brought this to my attention and I have been working with them. Since then, many other developments in Dublin Rathdown have made it public but I am aware of others that have not made it public because they are afraid to. I welcome the formation of the Construction Defects Alliance and commend those in the Beacon South Quarter who helped to drive it, as outlined by Ms Cottier. We would not tolerate this sort of public safety issue in the food industry or on the roads and I do not know why we tolerate it in our homes. Surely it should be of paramount importance that people feel safe in their homes. That is not happening. The Green Party passed a motion with unanimous support in the Dáil in 2017 calling for an independent regulator and redress scheme. That was followed by amazing work in this committee to produce the Safe as Houses? report, yet we are in November 2019 and we are no further along. I am truly worried that a tragedy will have to occur before Government pays attention to this shameful legacy.

Mr. Prior is a homeowner. Will he elaborate on his own experience of finding out that there were defects? How does he and the people he knows feel about living in that place? Who does he turn to for advice when he hears this? There is not even a helpline. I always feel that homeowners are abandoned there. There is no helpline, so who do they turn to for legal advice? Does Mr. Prior know what sacrifices are being made by homeowners who are paying the levy to come up with the money? Are people borrowing, going without medical care, pension contributions or school fees? What legal pressure is there on people who simply cannot pay? Do threatening letters come in?

I would like to recognise the bravery shown by many homeowners such as Mr. Prior, those in the Gallery and others who have come forward and even stood at the gates of Leinster House to campaign for the Government to act. It is to be hoped that will lead to more happening. Does Mr. Prior feel that the invisibility of people who are not coming forward is playing into the Government's hands? If it does not see large numbers, does it feel that it can leave this to one side? Does Mr. Prior feel that that is a factor? How does he feel when the Taoiseach and Ministers stand up in the Dáil, as they have done many times, and say that it is a private contractual issue? How does he feel about the announcements of the mica redress scheme and the pyrite redress scheme, with nothing for him? How widespread a problem does he think the construction defects are throughout the country and does he hear of many? I hear of many defects.

Homeowners and prospective homeowners are still expected to put their faith in builders who are really self-regulating, even since 2014. Should there be an independent regulator? People simply do not trust builders to self-regulate. The Government has a duty to protect homeowners and prospective homeowners against greed-driven building standards and incompetent rogue cowboy builders. I am not saying that all builders are rogue or incompetent, but a number of builders and developers have done an extraordinary disservice to the many decent, hard-working people in the industry. The tragic inferno at Grenfell is a stark reminder of the overriding principle of the safety of residents. In the rush to build the houses that are so urgently needed, I believe that all houses and apartments must be built to an acceptable, safe standard. What measures would the witnesses like the Government to take to tackle the issue? Will the Apartment Owners' Network elaborate on its pre-budget submissions about the tax relief that could be used to assist homeowners? What would the witnesses say to any person who is currently dealing with a defect in his or her home?