Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is critically important. Likewise, there is the issue with the foundations because there are many homeowners in Donegal who are ready to go with the new scheme. They have the background work done and are waiting for the new scheme to happen. It has been turmoil for them but now they are afraid to go ahead because people are saying foundations are not safe. Who do we believe? There must come a point where people with background knowledge have to be trusted. Not to disassociate from anybody else's view or cut it out, but the view of the witnesses must be heard. As someone with an engineering background and being a former member of EI, I understand what they are saying but not everybody will. We as politicians have a job to do to tell people current estimations are that foundations are safe. There is no evidence to say otherwise and where there is, let us know about it and let us have it investigated, but for the moment it is safe.

I ask the witnesses to outline the difference between a foundation and a block. My understanding is a compression test is the measure of the strength of a block or of concrete, for that matter. It is between 5 N and 7 N for a block but for foundations it is probably between 30 N and 35 N. That is probably six or seven times stronger than for a block. Moreover, so many rural houses have their street in concrete as well. Is there evidence of any concrete streets breaking up or difficulties and cracking caused by any of the issues being talked about today? Generally, is the fact a foundation is so much stronger than a block and that there is so much more cement content factors in our witnesses not being as worried about foundations? What is their view?