Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

One of the social issues that has captured the hearts and minds of our people over the last year has been the plight of families with homes crumbling down around them in the west of Ireland. The Government has taken action in the last week to address this but I have to raise with the Taoiseach again this issue of the sliding scale. I have correspondence from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to Donegal County Council. The Taoiseach said we have to take the politics out of the sliding scale and that it is a matter for the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland, and that it is agreed by all that it sets a benchmark for what it should cost per square foot to rebuild a home. In the correspondence from the Minister to the cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, he clearly said: "The grant calculation methodology will be based on the cost per square foot (psf) of rebuilding the existing home, with costings to be set by me in consultation with the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland." The concern is that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage officials will stick to this scale, which has no relevance whatsoever, according to the chartered surveyors, quantity surveyors and engineers. The Taoiseach knows that. I ask him again please to remove the sliding scale and then we will have a scheme that the families can work with in the west, which is the place we all want to get to.

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