Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am based in Buncrana, and when I step out my front door and look up to my right, I can see the quarry that is predominantly responsible for what has happened. It is a societal disaster. That is the only way I can describe it. I am 50 years of age. The people of my generation have had their lives destroyed in terms of what has happened to them. Marriages have broken up and people have taken their own lives. In some cases, people knew about it, whereas in others, they did not. It has been called an earthquake happening in slow motion. I ask Mr. Rafferty to please take it from me because I deal with homeowners who have been affected every day of my life. I deal with the collective trauma our community has suffered. This is nowhere near a 100% grant. In fairness, the witnesses stated it is not a compensation or redress scheme. I cannot understand why, therefore, they need to use the term "100%" in the following paragraph. It is just not factual or based on any evidence whatsoever. Our witnesses will see this if they talk to workers on the front line, to me or to any county councillor in Donegal.

The meeting in Buncrana that I referred to was held only in recent weeks. There was cross-party representation and up to a dozen county councillors and TDs. Not one public representative at the meeting, including Government ones, such as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael county councillors, would have dared to say to the crowd it was a 100% grant. Indeed, they confirmed it was not. The whole purpose of the meeting was to get to 100% redress because everybody at the meeting was a victim and had done no wrong. They had been utterly failed in so many ways by the regulations of the State, which is why we have the scheme in the first instance. The State would never have brought it in if it had thought it had no responsibility.

I had this discussion with Mr. Feargal Ó Coigligh at the previous meeting. I appeal to the witnesses to never again come to an Oireachtas committee and state the scheme provides 100% redress. I appeal to them to ensure that language will never be used again.