Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Perhaps this is third time lucky. It is good to have the Minister of State back in the House. I know that at this stage he has a good and deep understanding of this issue, as do his colleagues in government. We hear that Tuesday next week might be the date, although it is not yet confirmed, but if it is, let us get the scheme right this time. We have to be ready from the get-go for implementation. There will be a very heavy workload and resources will have to be in place. I am working on the assumption that much of the preparatory work is already in place. Proper implementation is key, as well as dedicated staff in the Department. I have spent time in five Departments over the course of the past six years, and one thing departmental officials are used to is fire fighting and dealing with daily issues that might arise. I know what is needed. We will need dedicated officials who will work on this scheme, because it will be a big and important scheme.

Local mechanisms to meet delivery needs sound like jargon. It is jargon, but I will explain what I mean. For example, if the Housing Agency is going to have a role in the delivery, which I believe it should have, it cannot be done in Dublin or by setting up a small, decentralised hub in Donegal, Mayo or any other affected county. There has to be a fully resourced office, right down to having somebody at the end of the telephone line to listen to people when they make contact. Another element of what must happen in the roll-out of this important scheme is that trust must be earned. There has been a fracturing of trust over recent months. We must have the homeowner at the centre at all times. The Mica Action Group has earned that trust through simple communicative mechanisms, such as doing a daily video and keeping people informed. Trust is earned through communication. I believe we can learn from that group and the work it has done. There is no need to create new wheels in terms of what has to be done, but we must look at what the Mica Action Group has achieved over recent months.

There must be implementation by the delivery team focusing on all aspects or the holistic aspect of the problem and challenge we have here. Yes, it is about construction and ensuring we get the right scheme in place for accessibility and affordability. Those issues are very important, but there are other issues in terms of the holistic, psychological supports that will be needed as well. Collaboration is key and critical, whether it is with the engineers, the contractors or the local authorities. Ultimately, a scheme will only be as good as the scheme that works.

Finally, let us get it right when the memorandum on the scheme goes to the Cabinet. Make sure there are no last-minute inserts in the scheme that will make it unworkable. Let there be no more obstacles, le do thoil. For example, the 25% retention of payment is not working and will not work. We must be careful about the square footage cost as well. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, SCSI, calculator refers to €138 per square metre, but is that accounting for inflation and the real cost of building houses today, which would be approximately €150 per square metre? There also must pathways for houses such as second homes that potentially could be excluded. They must have pathways. Ultimately, the key to all this is ensuring we keep the homeowner at the centre of the delivery process. That is very important.

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