Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy noted, many legacy issues have arisen in various areas of the country. We are discussing the issue of pyrite, however. The Deputy will agree that the primary responsibility for building defects lies with the builder, developer or company which supplied the relevant building material. They should be the focus of any redress.

As I outlined, the pyrite resolution scheme is an issue of last resort for people who do not have access to any other form of redress. The State has intervened in this area at a cost to the taxpayer and must ensure everything that is done to help those who require assistance is justified. The Government established the Pyrite Resolution Board, which has introduced a validation and verification process, while an independent agency, the Housing Agency, is managing many of the technical aspects of the project.

Five houses were remediated last year as part of a pilot project costing €2.2 million. It is important, however, that we achieve economies of scale in providing a solution to the problem. The Government has committed funding to pyrite remediation works, with a sum of €10 million allocated in 2015. We are also considering whether other areas, including those to which the Deputy referred, can be included in the pyrite resolution scheme. I will make a decision on that matter shortly.

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