Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, for attending to deal with it. It is very disappointing that the Minister of State, Deputy English, who has direct responsibility, is not here to take the matter and to account for his handling of the issue to which it relates. The Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, can update us as to why he is not here. I can only assume it is because he does not want to have to account for how this has been dealt with and delayed.

To summarise, there has been an ongoing issue for a number of years in Donegal whereby houses have been affected by defective blocks containing high levels of mica. As a result, the walls of houses across Donegal have been deteriorating to varying degrees. In some cases, it has gone to the extent that houses are no longer habitable and will have to be demolished. In the vast majority of cases, it is the outer leaf of the two walls that is affected by cracking and it has not gone to the inside. Time is of the essence, however, because homes are deteriorating and the pressure and stress on families is immense, as one can imagine.

Unfortunately, at every stage of this process, the Government has had to be pulled and dragged in order to get it involved to deal with the issue and to assist those families involved. Finally, after much lobbying, the Government announced in November 2015 that it was going to establish an expert panel to examine the issue and come back with recommendations as to what the remedies might be. The terms of reference for that panel, announced in November 2015, indicated that the conclusion of the report was to be finalised by 31 May 2016 - that is last year, not 31 May 2017, which is just two weeks away, so we are almost a year past the reporting date announced by the Government. Naturally, the Government announced this three months before the general election but, after that, it dragged its heels once more. It did not appoint a chairman of that expert panel until February. It then announced the report would not be published until the summer. The report was delayed until October and we were then told that it would not be available until Christmas. In February it was finally submitted to the Government. For the past two to three months we have been told it is with the Attorney General but there is no sign of it being published.

Meanwhile, homeowners across County Donegal and in parts of Mayo are waiting to discover the results and recommendations of that expert panel. That panel comprised engineers and people from different disciplines. Those individuals met homeowners, examined houses and also took scientific advice as to what exactly was the dynamic which was causing these blocks to be defective, and what the possible solutions would be. Homeowners are waiting to see what that expert panel decides and what the remedies might be before they take action.

Once this report is published and assessed, the next issue will be to move on to a redress scheme to assist homeowners to provide remedies. It is clear that families will not be able to afford the type of repairs which are required. Unfortunately, the Government has been found wanting at all stages and has delayed and dithered. It is time for the dithering to stop and for the report to be published. It is with the Government and the families are looking forward to seeing it. Can the Minister of State indicate that it will be published and give us a commitment that this will be done immediately?

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