Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Derek Rafferty:

It is unfair to say we only became aware of it in January. The Deputy is right and I know exactly why the BPFI brought forward the proposal. They had extensive bilateral discussions, which are still ongoing, with homeowners and the banking redress subgroup of homeowners. I speak quite a bit to homeowners so have a degree of appreciation of the pressure they are under. I will not pretend to know exactly what it is like but I have visited homes. I have visited the area and all the county and speak regularly to homeowners so I know about the pressure. In January, at the meeting we had with this specifically set-up group to look at this issue, they told us it was about professional fees. It was at that point that we-----