Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I find this entire scenario extremely distressing. It comes right in the middle of a housing crisis and at the same time as the pyrite and other issues mentioned by other members. We are looking at situations where consumers must shoulder the burden and have become the victims in that regard, despite it now being 30 years since the creation of the national house building guarantee scheme, Home Bond. I remember some 35 years ago having the roofs of all the houses in an estate replaced because of a structural defect. Compare that with the pyrite situation we have now, where a limit was applied. I cannot understand on what basis that was done, because there is either a guarantee or there is not. In addition, it will be done subject to whatever evaluation must be done. Many people have been severely impacted by the defects that have now emerged in their properties. Several houses have had to be demolished and some of them have been gutted. Ultimately, in most cases, the people involved must carry the full responsibility themselves.

After all these years of improvements to the systems we have put in place to protect the public, I find it very hard to accept that we have now arrived at a situation where we cannot get PI insurance cover for fire safety and it is being conducted from outside the country. Deputy Mairéad Farrell raised the question of what other companies are underwriting in this area and what changes have occurred. I am also conscious that we are in the European Union and the UK is not. I do not know if that difference is affecting this situation. If it is, however, we must do something about it urgently.

I reiterate that I am deeply dismayed to hear the subject matter of this discussion. It is a terrible blow to consumers. Those buying houses are already badly enough beset by all the obstacles they face every day. An urgent reappraisal is required in this area and it should be done with a view to ensuring, whatever else might fail, that our hard-pressed consumers are protected, and most especially in the area of housing.