Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government and Minister of State are seeking to provide a framework within which we can move forward and do all we can to deal with individual cases while putting in place an overall plan to allow us to deal with this issue in its totality. I have visited houses that have been affected by this, both in and near my constituency. I have been in local authority public housing that was built to provide people with good housing in their own communities but there are now cracks in the brickwork and the frames are coming under pressure and cracking. I have been in private housing where, as Deputy Farrell said, a few houses will be unaffected while the other houses will have cracks that a person could put a fist into. There is nothing like seeing this problem and the awful effect it has on people who bear absolutely no blame for the situation. There is clearly a need for the Government to act but it is also clear that the report offers two ways to approach the situation.

The report makes clear that the Government is dissatisfied with the engagement to date by many of those who have been involved and more must be done. It lays out what needs to be done to address the problem. We all have a strong interest in ensuring the fifth, sixth and seventh recommendations from this report are promptly implemented. The fifth recommendation outlines the desired response of the insurance industry for those who have been affected. The sixth and seventh recommendations, however, are the most important recommendations we need to see delivered: how people should engage immediately to ensure these houses are fixed and what can be done to ensure costs are apportioned fairly to those responsible for them in the first place.

I am aware that in some cases, some of the companies responsible for this no longer exist. That will make it more difficult to apportion costs fairly but that should not stop us from doing what needs to be done initially. The implementation of the levy, or the credible possibility of it being implemented, is crucial to getting everyone involved with this to the table. I ask the Department and the Minister not to spare any effort in ensuring this is quickly done. We have a clear responsibility to the people who live in these apartments to ensure those responsible for this happening through the provision of material that did not meet the required standards are compelled to fix the issue quickly. I hope the report being presented to the House will provide a framework for doing that. I am sure the Government will do all possible to have it implemented.

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