Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister will be aware, I welcomed the publication of the Report of the Pyrite Panel in June, given that it finally provided some recognition of the seriousness of the problem of pyrite-affected homes in north and west Dublin and, indeed, in the north mid-Leinster region. However, the position remains urgent. In a recent email briefing from the chairperson, of Pyrite Action, Mr. Peter Lewis, he described how thousands of innocent people are living in houses and apartments which are literally crumbling around them. As a group representing affected homeowners, Mr. Lewis stated Pyrite Action is increasingly hearing stories of both potential dangers and received injuries as a direct result of living in buildings which are becoming increasingly damaged and unsafe. Recent reports include the skim on ceilings falling down and narrowly missing children, doors falling from kitchen cupboards and, in one case, a child was badly cut by a falling shower screen. Households are also being left with no functioning toilet. With the winter coming, families are wondering again about the safety of using gas fires and central heating given that pyrite causes radiators to come loose and moving floors buckle the pipes. Where there is damage to external walls or window frames, it is next to impossible to keep the heat in.

The Report of the Pyrite Panel provides a valuable technical analysis of the enfolding pyrite disaster and it estimates that more than 12,250 ground floor dwellings in 74 estates across the country could be contaminated by pyrite. Of these, so far approximately 850 have made a claim with a guarantee provider and approximately 1,100 have been remediated or are in the process of being remediated.

However, there are some concerns that the report by Mr. Brendan Touhy and the Pyrite Panel may still underestimate the scale of the pyrite catastrophe. Over the years since 2007, I was given estimates of up to 60,000 units being affected.

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