Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The devil is always in the detail. These families are going through an absolutely terrible situation. You can never realise it until you are invited into their homes, where they tell you their own story and let you into their own personal scenario. We need to ensure this scheme is fit for purpose. I have asked the Taoiseach a simple question. I have the SCSI calculator and I have just entered into it a 2,300 sq. ft home in the north west. The calculator says that it would cost €334,000 to build. These are the same numbers I gave out earlier. The problem with the Government scheme is that it drops to €110 per square foot after 1,000 sq. ft and the family will have to find €45,000. That is a big problem. These families do not have €45,000. If a family has the average one-off house, they will have to find €56,000. The SCSI calculation currently for the north west is based on a rate of €145 per sq. ft, and it does not have a drop down to €110, on which the Cabinet signed off. I ask the Taoiseach to explain this and, more importantly, to say to the families that he is wrong, and that they will not have to put their hands in their pockets for that amount to have their homes rebuilt due to something that was not their fault in the first place.

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