Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for allowing me some of their time to make a small contribution. It is only right and proper that every Deputy should be present to tell the good people who came here today in order to highlight this issue that their homes are their castles. When they might have nothing else, the most important thing in the whole world are their homes. Little boys and girls came today with their parents and grandparents. They are growing up in homes that are falling down around them. That is sad.

On the practical side, people are reaching out for help. The redress scheme is not enough. As has been stated, someone has to get an engineer's report in order to join the scheme, and the most someone can get from the scheme is 90%.

I do not want another category of person to be forgotten. I dealt with the case of a young man who had made friends with a young lady. She had bought a house and he had his built and the pair were deep in mortgage debt. They are now married but are faced with only being able to get into the scheme in respect of one of those houses. The other house will be left to fall down to the ground because it will get no percentage. Awful situations like theirs must be considered as well. There are people who worked hard all their lives and built a holiday home only for that house to be falling down now. They are equally entitled to our care and consideration. Farm buildings, factories and even public buildings are falling down because of this problem.

The Government must show compassion, sympathy and solidarity with the good people who came to Dublin today. I compliment each and every one of them. I thank the Garda, who never had as easy a job as they had today because the people who came were the salt of the earth and the soundest and nicest people one could have the pleasure of meeting. They came to put our their hands and ask in an ordinary way for the Government to please help them. I hope that we will all be there to help them.

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