Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht agus as an deis labhairt ar an ábhar seo tráthnóna inniu sa Dáil. Is ábhar é atá ag cur isteach go mór ar theaghlaigh ar fud mo cheantair féin i nDún na nGall. Tá úinéirí tí scriosta de bharr an scannail míoca agus piríte. Seasaim agus tréaslaím leo ar fad. Bhí mé bródúil a bheith i mo sheasamh leo taobh amuigh de gheataí na Dála ag an mórshiúl ar ar thaisteal na mílte daoine as Dún na nGall go dtí Baile Átha Cliath níos luaithe inniu. Tá sé náireach go bhfuil sé fágtha ag na daoine seo a dtithe a fhágáil, a gcuid saol briste, agus a n-áiteanna cónaithe goidte chun teacht thart chomh fada le Baile Átha Cliath lena nglór a bheith cloiste. Fad is atáimid inár suí ag déanamh an plé seo anocht tá na tithe seo ag titim as a chéile. Caithfear cuidiú leo agus cúiteamh 100% atá ceart agus cóir a thabhairt dóibh.

I welcome the opportunity to speak this evening on this important motion for homeowners and families who have been devastated by the mica and pyrite scandal in Mayo, Clare and my home county of Donegal. I commend the homeowners and families concerned on their tenacity and fortitude. We saw thousands of them earlier who made that long journey to Dublin to send a clear message to the Government that the current redress scheme is simply not fit for purpose and immediate action must be taken to right this wrong. I extend my sympathy and solidarity to those homeowners and families.

This scandal has exacted a heavy toll on many of those affected, not only financially but also mentally, emotionally and even physically. That they have mounted such an effective campaign despite those difficulties is testament to their determination. It should never have come to this. The Government must do the right thing now and deliver a 100% redress scheme.

I have spoken to and heard from families who have experienced the gradual erosion of their homes, the slow creep and growth of cracks along the walls, and the plaster falling from walls and ceilings into their children's bedrooms. They have experienced the crumbling of bricks and gables. Put simply, their homes are falling apart. As one homeowner put it, his home is crumbling like Weetabix. That is not an exaggeration but a perfect description of the living reality of all those who have witnessed it. We know that many of those homes are simply no longer safe. I cannot describe the impact this continues to have on the affected homeowners and their families. They have poured their hard-earned money, savings and hopes for their futures into their homes.

On 15 June, an 11-year-old from Donegal wrote to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I had the pleasure of chatting with her at the demonstration today. She is an excellent writer. She expressed the reality that she and her family face eloquently and succinctly. In an extract from that letter, she stated:

Our house is affected by mica. In my bedroom, we had to move my bed because the plaster was falling off my wall and onto my pillows. It is so sad that the house we are living in is crumbling. It is so unfair that the Government is doing nothing.

For any child, their house should be their sanctuary. It should be the place in which they feel safest and where memories are made. This scandal has left children growing up in homes that are falling apart and dangerous. They are growing up in the crumbling surroundings of a scandal that has left their parents stressed, distressed and despairing for the future. No child deserves that, nor does any parent or family. I have heard from parents who find a quiet moment away from the eyes and ears of their children by going for a drive or sitting in their car and crying under the stress of their ordeal so as not to alarm or worry their children.

The financial impact cannot be overstated but we can describe it. For many families, the homes can no longer be lived in because parents fear for the safety of their children. They have had no option but to leave their homes, a devastating but unavoidable decision. They have been forced to rent as they seek alternative accommodation. Mortgage repayments must also be paid on their crumbling homes.

They then faced the uphill task of accessing the current scheme, which was introduced in 2020. The immediate challenge is the cost for the structural engineering report needed to prove eligibility, which itself can cost up to €6,000. That cost, which is considerable, locks many families out of the scheme from the start. Others have sought loans from the banks just to prove that their homes are affected by mica as the cracks widen and the blocks crumble.

Those who manage to jump the first hurdle face even greater costs as they approach the second one. What is routinely and inaccurately described as a 90% redress scheme in many cases proves to be 70% redress, and often even less. The remaining costs are huge, in some instances upwards of €100,000 and equivalent to a second mortgage.

The scheme is not fit for purpose and there is no debate about that. Unless it is replaced, the repercussions for these families are grave. Equality is also at stake, with homes affected by pyrite in Dublin and north Leinster having rightly received 100% redress through a similar scheme. Let us, therefore, be honest and frank. Not only can the Government put in place a scheme that provides 100% redress to those affected, it must put in place that scheme of 100% redress for those families.

This motion calls on the Government to provide those affected by defective blocks in Donegal, Mayo, Clare and other counties with 100% redress, nothing less. That is what is required. It must ensure that those who are responsible, that is, the developers, builders and suppliers, are held to account with a contribution extracted from the industry towards the remediation.

I want to finish by commending the homeowners and families for their determination, fortitude and strength. I call on every Teachta Dála to support this motion and on the Minister to act. Do not give false hope where there is none. Give a commitment today on what his party leader refused to do and support the principle of 100% and the principle of equality. Please lift that burden off these families, who are weighed down by this nightmare with which they have been living for so many years.

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