Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very grateful to my colleague, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, for allowing me to contribute on this important Topical Issue matter.

We are all aware that throughout this pandemic, people have sadly slipped through the gaps in terms of the supports available from the Government. We discuss these at length. Supports are available under the Covid restrictions support scheme and there are workplace supports for many employers and businesses, but a group that is really getting caught comprises those who have been having work done on their homes, as alluded to by Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The fact that much of the work was not counted as essential has left them in circumstances in which they must rent accommodation. They have to meet the cost of rent as well as pay a mortgage. They have to rely on borrowings and savings and they face a very difficult situation. We all know of the difficulties and uncertainties in the rental market, and we do not know exactly when the works can continue.

I am struck by two cases in my constituency. The first concerns a family who contacted me in January. They are having pyrite remediation works carried out on their home. The home has been stripped to the foundations and it is completely uninhabitable. The works have not continued and the family has to rent accommodation. They do not have family they can live with. Now the landlord is asking how much more time they want, and they are asking how they will be able to afford both the rent and the mortgage.

In the second case, a family in Stillorgan has taken off the back of their house to adapt it and construct a wet room for a child with severe special needs. They are living in temporary rental accommodation and the lease is up. The costs are mounting and the builders cannot do the work. The family is really starting to worry about how they will make ends meet, make rent payments, pay the mortgage and pay for the important work that needs to be done. It is not a case of people making a choice or opting for a luxury item; these are vital works. Those affected are in a quandary in that they are falling through the cracks and facing double payments in a very difficult situation. They absolutely need an emergency payment of some kind.

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