Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for being in front of us. I was saying to committee members during the interval that given the scale of the financial commitment underpinning this scheme and the large number of families and homeowners it is affecting, as well as tenants in the private and social housing sectors, it would be useful if this committee as a matter of course every six months does a session such as this, where we hear from homeowners and experts and the organisations in front of us. That would be a useful scrutiny mechanism to track progress. With that in mind, I was pleased to hear there will be a six-month report. It would be useful if our guests could communicate to the Minister that it would be great if the conclusion of that report would provide the occasion for us to have that six-month scrutiny.

To pick up on a point made by Deputy Conway-Walsh, there are many people across Donegal, Mayo and Donegal who are currently calculating on the basis of estimated costs and the new SCSI rates that they are not going to get even 90%, let alone 100%. Rather than having a row with our guests as to whether that is going to happen, the report they are going to produce should record the gap between the full cost of remediation as set out in the regulations and legislation and the grant level. If the six-monthly report had that information, we would not be speculating and arguing on anecdotal evidence; we would have hard facts.

To pick up on Deputy Higgins's point on insurance, the Housing Agency has research functions at close proximity to this and could assist. Perhaps there could be a record of where there are insurance issues where remediation is completed or where engineers or certifiers are having difficulty with their professional indemnity insurance. That would be important data. I am not accusing Mr. Ó Coigligh of this but it would be a shame if the report only highlighted the positives, and I am sure there are going to be positives for many people, without also highlighting the issues. What was clear from the homeowners today is that they want the scheme open because they want in but they also have a long list of concerns. If the evidence as we go through this scheme validates some or all of those concerns, the scheme is going to have to change. The Department's report will be key. I make that opening point.

My questions are not going to relate to the legislation because that is a battle we will have with the Government and the members of the Government who voted for that legislation so I will save our guests that pain.

I am particularly concerned with the transitional arrangements and new entrants to the scheme in terms of the potential level of bureaucracy for applicants and local authorities. I am particularly concerned about the staffing requirements and additional staffing requirements for local authorities given the significant pressures they are under. How can the Department give comfort to this committee that those in the existing scheme will be able to seamlessly and effortlessly transition across to the new scheme? What assurance can the Department provide that new applicants will not have the same experience as applicants for the existing scheme in terms of the processing?

Is the CCMA satisfied that it has the staff? I am particularly concerned about Donegal because the scale of cases is much larger. We all know the pressures housing, planning and building control departments are under. I ask the witnesses from the CCMA to speak to that as well.