Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He will know, having met the families, that this is an urgent matter for those affected by it because houses continue to deteriorate as time moves on, and the cost of having tests conducted on individual houses is prohibitive, being in the range of €2,000 to €3,000. Families are waiting for these tests to be conducted by the panel. They are waiting on the expert opinion of the panel as to the nature and extent of the problem and the remedies that can be brought to bear. Following on from that, they also await the Government's response on what help will be available because these families will need help to address the problems in their homes.

I said the Government has dragged its feet on this issue because it took too long to set up the expert panel. However, when it was set up, the report deadline given was 31 May. That was then pushed out to the end of October. In a reply to a parliamentary question from me last week and again today, it was pushed out to the end of this year. It could be done more quickly than that. It is possible to have it delivered more quickly, and I ask the Minister of State to engage with the members of the panel and ensure it is delivered by the end of the year. The Minister of State might also update us on the number of staff from the Department working with the panel as a secretariat.

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