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

I did not cause any problems. Everyone in life has responsibilities. Let us stop trying to excuse people on the ground of regulations. There are regulatory frameworks today and there were regulatory framework then. Certain people did not adhere to them. That is the point. No one will ever call that out because it does not suit them to call it out. The Government must always be the first resort.

I have no issue with sorting this out and helping families to rebuild their homes. I have been in a house where I have seen how devastating this is for families. We need to rebuild these houses, but we need to get on with it and get it done.

I have been in government for approximately 18 months of this. This has been going on for years. Deputy Pringle has been a Member for ten years. This has been going on for too long. We can have more and more campaigns, but nothing gets done in the meantime. We can get the scheme up and running. In my view, this scheme is a very good accommodation.

When we first met, homeowners had to put up all of the upfront costs themselves. That has been taken out. In addition, a €20,000 facility will be made available for rental, something which was not available in the past. A facility for storage was not available under the previous scheme. We should use the methodology used by the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland, which has it will change the square footage rate on an annual basis to meet the current market position. Let us depoliticise the methodology around this. That is what the scheme provides for.

Let us look at the valuations. I accept it is not exactly the same, but in terms of the LPT, up to 36,000 homes will be valued at between zero to €200,000 in Donegal. The cap is up to €420,000. The first 1,000 sq. ft will be capped at €145 per sq. ft. That could change in April when the society updates the figures. There are no upfront costs for homeowners on this occasion. The Housing Agency will play a central role in helping homeowners to deal with this.

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