Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned learning the lessons from pyrite and looking at examples. The Housing Agency took on that project and it is the only agency that can do this properly. We should not force families at their wits' end to compete for developers' prices and tenders and all the rest. The Minister for Finance clearly must have a view on this.

The families are well aware of the Minister's busy schedule but they are also aware he is a key person, as Minister for Finance, for the scheme that could address and lift the burden from those families. Alternatively, it could leave many of them behind. They are appealing to meet the Minister any time and anywhere, whether it is online or in person. They want to meet him before he sits at the Cabinet table and makes this decision. It is a fair request from the families and I encourage the Minister to take up that offer.

As the Minister knows, these families are at their wits' end and they have won the hearts of this nation. These families expect the Government to have their back. They did not cause this problem, which arose because of light-touch or no regulation. This came from the Celtic tiger era and these homes are literally falling apart. Will the Minister please take up that offer and provide an answer on whether he will meet the families online or in person over the next number of days?

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