Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me to raise this Topical Issue. I also thank the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for being present in the Chamber. I know this issue was and has been raised on numerous occasions by my late father and other Deputies. It is important for us to keep the ball rolling on it. As the remediation process starts, it is important that we keep it moving. It is great that we are at the stage we are at and I thank the Minister for his help on the matter to date. I know it is a very important issue for him, as it is for me and many others. I do not think many people thought we would reach the current position, with an end in sight.

The welcome announcement before Christmas of the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board was a great Christmas present for many home owners. Having met the chairperson and members of the board, it is fair to say their dedication and commitment are obvious. They want to see this through as much as anybody else does. Having said that, we are not there yet. No homes have been fixed and we still have a long way to go.

The website of the Pyrite Resolution Board, which was launched just two weeks ago, is a welcome addition to the process. The read-only website summarises the scope of the scheme, the qualification criteria and the various steps involved in the remediation scheme. I understand the next step will see the website going live. The board will be able to begin accepting applications at that point. After this has happened, I hope the main priority will be to put funding in place. There is no point in going through all of this if we have no money to fix the homes affected. I am well aware that a non-profit company, Pyremco, which was established to oversee the remediation process is drawing down a loan from the banks involved. Obviously, the initial loan will only be able to go so far. We need to ensure the pyrite levy Bill is passed before the summer recess. I am concerned that delays will occur, as this tends to happen with any new scheme. I hope this will be one less delay for us to have to worry about. As we know, it took some time for this problem to come to the forefront and I firmly believe it will take a long time to go away, if it ever will. We need to ensure funding is available in the years to come in order that it will be available to those who may find pyrite in their homes in the future.

As I have mentioned, this issue has been ongoing for six or seven years. Home owners still have some problems, unanswered questions and fears after all that time. In that context, I would like to put three proposals to the Minister. I urge him to consider them and consult the Pyrite Resolution Board on them. First, I wish to make a proposal regarding the three categories - red, amber and green - in the three-tier system. We hope approximately 1,000 homes will fall into the red category initially. However, there is a great deal of confusion about those in the amber category. I ask the Minister to consider moving straight to the amber category when all the homes in the red category have been remediated and fixed. The homes in the amber category should not be allowed to deteriorate until they reach a condition that would qualify them for inclusion in the red category.

Second, I would like to make a proposal regarding those who have to organise their own accommodation initially and, therefore, face an extra level of strain and pressure. They are already paying a great deal of money for homes which are, in essence, worthless. I wonder whether the Minister will consider providing some assistance for those who might not be able to afford this.

Third, I ask the Minister to consider reimbursing those who have already fixed their homes. I am aware that the cases of the small number of people in this category have been raised previously. A number of home owners in County Meath have already fixed their homes at great cost and they have had to remortgage their homes. I ask the Minister to consider the proposals I have made.

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