Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputies Harkin, McNamara and Fitzmaurice.

I am happy to speak in support of this motion. It has been a great day for the campaigners from Donegal and the rest of the north west - a large turnout and support for the rally in Dublin, discussions during Leaders' Questions and now this motion. However, the reality is that we should not be here. We should not have had to force buses full of people to travel down to the Oireachtas to be heard. We should not have families sharing their terror and trauma at watching their homes crumbling around them. We should not have years of Government disinterest and disrespect for homeowners in the north west.

Homeowners, local authorities, schools and community halls should have been able to trust that they were not building with defective concrete blocks. People should have been able to trust that the Government would provide an appropriate 100% redress scheme as per the precedent set in Leinster following the pyrite scandal. Industry and insurance companies should have been held accountable from the first instances of the mica scandal. That is "Fianna Fáilness" and "Fine Gaelness", though - "shoulda, coulda, woulda". Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would not listen until there was a national outcry. They would not take action until affected voices got the ear of the national media. They would not be shocked and angry until media outlets asked for quotes while they were milking photo ops. It was shameful.

The people of Donegal, so often feeling like they live in the forgotten county, are making their voices heard now. The Mica Action Group has been in existence since 2014. Cassidy Brothers Limited, one of the manufacturers of the concrete blocks, was asked to provide a civil engineering company with the recipe for a typical block back in 2011. At the time, the company said that there was a mix of 6.4% concrete. Independent testing showed that the cement content was actually between 3.7% and 4.5%. That is ten years ago now. This is not a new issue. It has not dropped out of the sky or happened overnight. Families affected have been raising it for years, gathering their own evidence, analysis and testing and becoming experts on mica and defective blocks. People affected are expected to continue repaying their mortgages and might also have to pay rent while their homes are demolished and rebuilt. It is a national scandal. I am delighted to see the country behind us in Donegal and our neighbours in the north west.

The Taoiseach stated today that this issue had not been highlighted in manifestos, yet I know of one manifesto that did highlight it. That manifesto reads:

MY SOLUTION: - Deliver the long-awaited Mica Redress Scheme.

- Address insurance cost issues for homeowners affected.

- Ensure timely implementation of the scheme by Donegal County Council.

- Provide 100% grants for mica-affected homeowners in line with North Leinster.

- Meet the temporary accommodation needs of mica homeowners.

- Amend the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act to relieve mica homeowners of property tax.

The report of the expert panel also contained the following observations:

Finally, it is not normal for concrete blocks to fail in the manner observed. It is the Panel’s opinion, which was supported by the laboratory reports provided, that the concrete blocks which deteriorated in the manner observed were not fit for purpose.

It also stated: "the Panel acknowledges that there has been reluctance by some key stakeholders to share information due to commercial sensitivities and for reasons of litigation" and that it was "clear to the Panel that the affected homeowners, through no fault of their own, are in a difficult position with very few, if any, realistic options available in order to obtain redress." It is important that those responsible be held to account, but not at the expense of homeowners.

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