Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I will bring the Taoiseach back to 29 November 1989. The Taoiseach had been recently elected and was supporting a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government, led by former Deputy Charles Haughey. The Dáil was debating the Building Control Act, which introduced a regime of self-certification, allowing builders effectively to sign off on projects themselves. Former Deputy Eamon Gilmore, then of the Workers' Party, said:

The principle being enshrined in this section is very dangerous. It will expose people who are buying homes to buying products which are sub-standard against which they will have no comeback.

What was the response of the Fianna Fáil Minister, former Deputy Pádraig Flynn? He said: "If Deputy Gilmore buys a building without having put in place some checks and without having carried out checks, then he is the one who is being negligent in protecting his own investment." That is incredible. The Minister was blaming the residents and not the builders. Fianna Fáil opened the door for the kind of defective building we have seen.

Here we are, 33 years on and the fruits of that policy are becoming crystal clear. According to the report commissioned by the Government and released in July, up to 100,000 apartments and houses around the State are likely affected by defects, mostly fire defects. That includes Hunterswood, Park West Crescent, Carrickmines Green, a recent development in Inchicore and many others, the owners of which do not yet want their developments named yet. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Most people who are affected do not yet know it yet. There are probably significant defects in any apartment or duplex built between 1991 and 2013. Those homeowners will have a very unwelcome surprise coming in the form of a bill of an average of €25,000. For many, it will be much more than that. It is money that people simply do not have. Contrary to what the then Minister, Pádraig Flynn, was suggesting, that is not their fault. They did everything right when they bought their property. It is why residents have come together to launch a campaign called Not Our Fault. They are calling a major public conference open to all affected in a few weeks' time.

The Government has had the expert group report from which these figures come since July. A month ago, the Government set up another group, an interdepartmental and agency group, to look into the issue. The people who are living with the fruits of Fianna Fáil policy know what the answer is. It is extremely simple. A 100% redress scheme is the only just solution. It is also the only workable solution. The scheme should be retrospective and the State should then pursue the builders responsible.

Last week, residents in Park West Crescent voted not to pay the €68,500 they were being asked to in order to address fire defects. Residents in Hunterswood did the same a few months ago. Nobody is going to hand over enormous amounts of money now when the Government has not indicated that the scheme will be retrospective. I ask the Government to stop kicking the can down the road. Will the Taoiseach agree to a 100% redress scheme that is retrospective?

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