Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Clare Daly about being left in limbo. We are trying to find solutions to it. I might sit down and look over her Bill with her, if that is okay, to see where we can use it. The problem at the moment is that under some of the standards, the house is still reported to have a pyrite presence. However, it might not be possible to see physical damage to the house. I have been in houses that have been said to have pyrite although one cannot see anything wrong with them even ten to 12 years after construction. No one will buy those houses and the banks will not give a mortgage to buy such houses. However, it would probably be wrong to spend €60,000 fixing the house to remove the presence of pyrite. It is not an easy circle to square or - the other way round - a square to circle.

I accept that people are left in limbo and we have to find solutions. I have met people and families who want to move one with their lives. Their jobs or lives might have moved onto a different part of the country but they are stuck in the house they have today. I would be happy to try to find solutions but it will not be possible to get the backing of any Department of Finance or Department of Public Expenditure to spend between €60,000 and €80,000 on a house that has no real physical evidence of damage although we know pyrite is present. That is the difficulty. Where a house must be remediated, the scheme is available. Many houses have been fixed at this stage already. More than 700 have already been completed and there is another 400 to 500 in the system, with more than 1,300 applications in total. We are dealing with houses that need to be fixed.

I understand what the Deputy is saying. She is speaking about those who are left in limbo. The solution, however, is not straightforward. I am happy to look at the Deputy's Bill to see if she has a better solution than that which we can find.

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