Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like other Deputies, I have seen the damage that has been done. Cracks are appearing across supporting walls and door frames are starting to disintegrate. It is a heartbreaking experience for anybody. It is mainly affecting my generation. These are the people who were told to get on the property ladder a few years ago because, if they did not, it would cost too much for them ever to own a house. These people scraped and struggled in every way they could to get mortgages to buy houses that are now worth only a fraction of what they paid for them. These people are our friends, neighbours and, in some cases, our families who bought their dream house. These citizens believed they were protected by the regulations of the State, insurance and the surveys that were carried out. Ultimately, the innocent victim of this entire process is the only one who has, so far, been made to carry the can. They bought in good faith, but have been dealt with in an appalling fashion.

The repair bill for these houses runs to tens of thousands of euro. At a time when the Irish League of Credit Unions has reported that most of this generation is struggling to find disposable income at the end of the month, it is clear it will not be possible for them to pay such amounts. It is money they should not have to pay. It is not just the private housing stock that is suffering in this regard. Many local authority houses, schools, public buildings and roads have been affected by this.

The blame clearly lies with sectors of the construction industry - the quarry owners who sold contaminated construction materials, the builders who failed to test the quality of those building materials and the developers who were more interested in a quick buck than ensuring the quality of their product. However, the buck does not stop there. The State had a system of regulation that failed to detect the major problem of pyrite contaminated materials.

The previous regime had a system where surveys were carried out to pass houses as fit but those houses were not fit for habitation. Under the previous regime, the HomeBond scheme was in place but that has failed owners as well. All of this points to an abdication of responsibility, which is simply not acceptable. It is well beyond time these citizens got what they paid for.

It is equally clear the construction industry has abdicated responsibility with regard to this mess. It is unrealistic to expect a voluntary system will resolve this situation. It needs the direct intervention of Government, which must hold these sectors to account.

The Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, also a Deputy from County Meath, brought the Taoiseach, then the leader of the Opposition, to a number of houses in Dunboyne, Kentstown, Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin before the general election. The Minister of State said then that he was shocked at the level of destruction he had seen, that these were people's homes and it was an outrage that the then Government was washing its hands of the issue. He said those people were in an impossible situation. Eighteen months later, those people live in exactly the same impossible situation as they did when the Minister of State lambasted the previous Government.

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