Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As my colleagues said, we are supporting this legislation because we believe it is necessary. As was also alluded to, the CIF has for a long time had this voluntary code, where building contractors and workers have been registered.

However, there are a number of reservations as to how much of an impact it has had. Everyone recognises this. That is why we feel it would be correct and proper that the register be taken away from the CIF and housed - pardon the pun - somewhere independent of the building industry. This is vital.

As many people have said since the period of what we called the building boom in this country, when many houses were built from the mid-2000s, we have been left with a litany of problems throughout the country. We are all aware of this. In many apartment blocks in the cities, there are huge problems with fire safety and fire hazards. The codes were simply thrown to one side and not adhered to at all. We have similar situations in many areas throughout the country. Of course, the issue of Weetabix building blocks and the crumbling houses is not just a problem in Donegal, Mayo or Clare. There is also a situation in Sligo, particularly in the west of the county, where there are many problems with products that came mainly from quarries in north Mayo. There are similar problems with the blocks. At least a couple of hundred houses will be impacted by this, and they need to be included in any redress scheme introduced by the Government.

On the redress scheme, several months ago the Government had an opportunity to come into a good light in this regard. Everyone thought that we had the problem solved. It was like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The Government came out with something at the very last minute. It was unbelievable how it turned around for the sake of very little. The scheme really needs to be rethought in order to ensure that 100% redress is 100% redress. If it is, then it has to be the same for everyone. Regardless of what size houses people built, where they built, how they did so or where they got the money to do so, the fact of the matter is they spent the money they earned or borrowed and which they are paying back on their homes. They deserve to be compensated if those homes have to be demolished and rebuilt. This is a key issue that needs to be resolved. The Government has a huge body of work to do in that regard.

To come back to the Bill before us, there have been many problems with what we often term rogue builders and builders who have done poor jobs and have produced poor workmanship, not just in the context of single houses but also as regards entire housing estates. Problems with drainage and all sorts of things can be seen in various parts of the country. The key point is that we have to have in place a code of conduct that will hold builders to account and ensure that they are held to account, and that the people who buy a home or pay to have a home built get what they pay for and get a home not just for themselves but for the generations to come.

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