Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Higgins for allowing me to take some of her time. I appreciate it. I welcome this overdue legislation. It has been a difficult time for a huge amount of families. Unfortunately, pyrite and mica do not stop in Donegal, Clare or Mayo. On Monday last, I visited a house in my constituency of Wexford where it was visible to me that there is either mica or pyrite. I understand this scheme will be expanded beyond the counties I mentioned through local authorities.

Families in Donegal, Clare and Mayo have gone through a horrid time in recent years. I praise my colleague, former Minister and Teachta Dála for Donegal, Deputy McHugh, who has done a huge amount of work in the area in recent years. In conversations with him, I found out exactly the extent of the problem in Donegal. When I visited the house in my constituency on Monday, it brought back some of the conversations I had with Deputy McHugh.

Deputies have raised a number of issues but we are talking about families, real people who have pride in their homes. Their homes are their castles. Those of us lucky enough to have our own home appreciate how much we love it, how much investment we put into it and the memories we have in it. The lives of these families have been turned upside-down in recent years.

I plead with the Minister of State and the Department to make this process as simple as possible for the families. There has to be accountability, as we all appreciate, but on occasions Departments design schemes that make application so cumbersome for families and homeowners that they do not apply. I ask that this be a simple process. Outside of counties Donegal, Clare and Mayo, where there is a huge issue, I ask that in County Wexford the people affected by mica or pyrite can go to the local authority to be seen and their story listened to, so they can be part and parcel of this scheme. They are afraid they are falling outside the scheme. Wexford has been mentioned as one of the potentially affected counties. I know of three cases in County Wexford where there is mica or pyrite. I plead with the Minister of State and Department that in County Wexford no homeowner will be left outside this scheme but will be part of it and treated in the same way as people in Donegal, Mayo and Clare.

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