Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is the intention. This has gone on too long.

I have looked at the timeline as well. I was not in government for the past ten years but this thing has gone on too long. Homeowners have raised legitimate issues. They have got to be dealt with.

I referenced the Attorney General last week. I have an issue with certain people walking away from this. That is my issue. Who supplied the blocks? Who designed them? As for insurance companies and HomeBond, everyone seems to have walked off the pitch. Banks have a role as well. To be fair to Deputy Mac Lochlainn, when he welcomed this, he thought that banks could have played a useful role in helping people. The Mica Action Group signed off in good faith originally as well, but issues have now arisen.

I have discussed this with the Attorney General. The State cannot forever be held accountable alone in respect of behaviours or actions where others fell short, be they in the private sector or elsewhere. That is the only point I was making, and I wanted the Attorney General to examine that, not just for this Government, but for future Governments and, more importantly, for taxpayers.

I do not want this to be distorted, because there can be an element in this kind of debate of comments being distorted. I am very clear about our role in helping the homeowner, but there is a separate piece of work needed as well to examine this in greater detail in terms of how it came to be that thousands and thousands of homes were supplied with an appalling block. Stand up and-----

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