Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is disappointing we have not yet had word back from the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, given that he has twice indicated to us that he has given the industry a deadline to produce a solution to the pyrite problem. He stated previously that he was considering making requests for funding remediation measures in the houses in question. The issue of funding is fundamental.

The Minister of State referred to a figure of 11,000 homes. As Christmas approaches, it is vital that urgent action is taken to address serious problems found in 850 homes. If legislation is required, as appears likely, a solution will not be found until the new year. Legislation must be retrospective as we must avoid a scenario in which people are informed they missed a deadline for submitting applications and so forth. This issue needs to be addressed urgently.

See this speech in context