Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We must move quickly. Thankfully, this is not an issue that affects my constituency of Dún Laoghaire. However, I want to show my full solidarity with and extend my support for the thousands of families and householders who are affected by this pyrite disaster and tell them that if there is anything I can do, I will be very happy to do it.

It is a double whammy for the families and households affected by pyrite. Like the rest of us, they are no doubt the victims in all sorts of ways of an economic crisis and recession caused by the activities of bankers and developers and politicians who failed to regulate those people in respect of activities which pumped a construction bubble and led to this crash. They are affected by all of the things everybody else has been affected by. Many of them are no doubt in negative equity and are struggling to pay their mortgages or are victims of the economic crisis in terms of job and income losses. As if all this were not bad enough, they must also deal with this intolerable situation. As with almost every issue we face, the powers that be - corporate interests, such as the construction industry in this case and insurance companies, and governments - pass the buck between one another, blame everybody but themselves and seek at every turn to avoid taking responsibility. One group of people who are not in any way responsible and are the innocent victims of this situation are the home owners themselves. Yet they are the ones who must deal with the consequences and suffer as a result of the inaction of those who are responsible, whoever they are. It seems to me that the political authorities, those who failed to regulate, HomeBond, the insurance and construction industries and the quarries are all responsible. They did not put in place proper regulation and safeguards and a proper insurance regime so that ordinary people who sought to do nothing more than put a roof over their heads did not find themselves in this intolerable situation.

Given the clear unwillingness of those in the construction and insurance industries to assume their responsibility, it is the duty of those elected by the public and whose job is to be the guardians of the public interest to act in this interest and worry about how we pay for it or apportion responsibility afterwards. The victims should not have to wait any longer. They need certainty and safety. I am not an expert on this but what will happen if sulphuric acid is released as a result of pyrite in the foundations or structural damage becomes so serious that serious accidents might happen?

Must we wait for that before somebody acts? If it happens, will we still have buck-passing, with everybody pointing the finger at one another without action being taken? I hope the Government will not let it come to that pass.

It should do what the families are asking for, namely, make available upfront a remediation fund to ensure the homes of everybody affected will be subject to remediation immediately. Others who suspect their homes may be affected should have the resources necessary to test for and remove pyrite so the danger of further structural or other damage will be averted immediately. We can worry further down the line about how we make those responsible pay.

Although I have not followed the discussion in as detailed a manner as some of the Members from Dublin West, Dublin North and other affected areas, I believe the banks should be brought into play. Almost all of the homes affected were bought for extortionate prices during the economic bubble. The owners are paying extortionate mortgages and many have difficulty paying these. It is even more appalling that people are paying off mortgages if there is pyrite damage. The banks that we own and recapitalised could be directed to offer a write-down or some relief on mortgages of those people affected. In addition, a fund should be put in place. The affected families should receive an immediate, unconditional waiver on all property charges. That they would have to pay these charges is utterly unacceptable given the circumstances in which they find themselves.

The problem requires a serious regime of regulation, inspection and management of the construction industry to prevent cowboy builders and cowboy insurance companies - such as HomeBond, it seems - so the problem will not recur. A man to whom I spoke at the protest outside was absolutely disgusted that the builder who built his home, which is literally falling apart, is back in business. I cannot mention the builder as the company is subject to legal action. The builder is walking around building sites with a hard hat and building again under a new company name. His family members are on the board of directors and the victim to whom I spoke and many others are left to carry the can for what was done to them. Those who carry on building are not held to account.

I commend the pyrite action group and all those in the intolerable, unacceptable circumstances I have described. I appeal to the Government not to delay action on this matter any further. Whatever can be done, however complex or difficult, to force the stakeholders or those responsible to pay for remediation over the longer term should be done but householders should not have to wait over the longer or medium term to have remediation. They have waited long enough and their circumstances are intolerable enough already. Therefore, the Government should put in place the necessary resources to allow the affected householders leave Leinster House today saying the Government did something for the people who elected them.

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