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

Homeowners from Mayo, Clare and Donegal recently gave evidence to the housing committee and clearly articulated that, unfortunately, this scheme is going to fall short for most homeowners. We are facing an outcome whereby only those who have significant sums will be able to afford to access the scheme, because what they are doing is taking out the foundations and rebuilding their homes to the necessary standards. They are at the mercy of the market, however. Whatever about the notional cost, they are at the mercy of the market. When you add professional fees and everything else, the only people who can access the scheme right now are those who can access significant levels of finance. That is the reality. It is not based on which houses most urgently need to be repaired. If someone whose house urgently needs repair does not have access to the finances, that is tough and they will be out of the scheme.

I am giving our guests honest, eye-witness testimony. I challenge any public representative anywhere to question anything I have said at this meeting. It is absolute fact, based on being on the ground and talking to families every day, as well as to the facilitators and everybody on the front line. Sadly, the language the witnesses have presented today is an egregious mistake. I accept that the Minister and the Government made the decision, rather than the witnesses, who are public servants implementing Government policy. I accept that and I said that Mr. Ó Coigligh at the previous meeting when I acknowledged that is the extent of their responsibility, but they have voluntarily used that language in the statement, with the term "100%", when a significant majority of homeowners are excluded because they cannot access the finances. Representatives of the Central Bank and the Department of Finance are here and I am telling them people cannot access the finance to avail of the scheme. They cannot access it and they are stuck, with their lives destroyed, with no solution.

I will leave it at that. I just hope that when representatives of the Department appear before the housing committee, that language will not be repeated, that it will be reflected on and that people in the affected counties will be heard. That is all I ask.