Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am shocked, surprised and disappointed at the muted and pedestrian response from the Taoiseach and the Government to the horrific events in London at Grenfell Tower, where up to 80 people lost their lives in the most horrific and - it looks almost certain - scandalous circumstances. As recently as November last year, the authorities had failed to heed warnings from residents to the effect that the tower was an accident waiting to happen. I said to the Taoiseach last Tuesday that I had been told by a fire expert the week before about how a vast amount of Irish housing stock had major fire safety issues. This was confirmed over the weekend by Kevin Hollingsworth, a quantity surveyor, who said up to 40% of housing stock built during the Celtic tiger period and far more of the Irish housing stock besides was an accident waiting to happen. Spokespeople for Dublin Fire Brigade have said the same, yet we get an absolutely muted response. I am amazed that there has not been a minute's silence in the Dáil. What is more, I am amazed at the lack of urgency shown by the Government in asking whether the cladding material is being used anywhere here. Are we going to do something about self-certification in the building industry whereby designs of buildings are certified but not the actual buildings? We have experts telling us that vast portions of the housing stock are an accident waiting to happen. What is the Taoiseach going to do about it?

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