Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too compliment the people of Donegal. "The Homes of Donegal" was Bridie Gallagher's lovely song. I danced to her on my honeymoon in Jackson's Hotel in Ballybofey but they kept to their homes today.

These people provided their own homes. They are here to bring their plight to Government but the Government is not doing enough for them because looking after big business is the Government's priority. We saw it with the banks. We see it with insurance companies every day of the week. We see it with the beef cartels. When it comes to the daoine beaga or little people - I do not mean that in any bad way - they are cast aside.

This is a racket. There are big companies in this country. They have more men in the quarries now. You have CRH and others who could build the whole country. This will cost €5 billion or €6 billion for the houses alone all over the country that are affected, for instance, in Limerick, Clare, Mayo and Donegal. This will cost big money.

There are companies that have taken over many of the small suppliers that were just hoovered up by vultures, and they need to pay.

How come, with the light-touch regulation, there is no one held accountable? Why should the people who see their homes crumbling in front of them, what they lived for and what they worked for when they married and raised a family, have to pay? I met grannies today, and grandchildren. Some of the grannies and grandparents could not come. They should not have to come if this was a caring Government. What did our people of 1916, 1921, 1922 and 1923 fight for? Freedom. For what? Was it for cartels and big companies to rape and plunder our country and let people go to hell?

I met people from the top of Donegal today who spent four and five hours travelling here to have to bring their case to Dublin. They livened up Dublin. It has been dead for long enough with the Covid lockdown. They brought a spirit of energy and enthusiasm. All they want is to live in their houses, live out their days and pass them on to their families but the big business cartels who have the big parties here - Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and now the Greens - in their pockets are just laughing all the way to the bank. There is no mercy for these people.

The Taoiseach stated today they would be paid. Why do they have to get €5,000 upfront for a report? Why do they have to rent houses while they are being done?

These houses should be demolished because you cannot fix them because it could reappear. I know a little about it. We need to pony up here and go after the big companies which supplied the faulty material.

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