Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad for the opportunity, first to welcome all the people here in the Gallery who have been affected by the light-touch regulations provided for by previous Governments. We see it here in Dublin, in Donegal, in Mayo and in different counties. When we talk about Donegal, we must remember that in Donegal houses are falling down around the people. We remember Bridie Gallagher in the 1960s and 1970s who sang about the homes in Donegal, even in my father's pub. Donegal people, and everyone, depend on their homes and they look forward to going home in the evening. It is sad when their homes, apartments or whatever are falling down around them. It is terrible and it is because of light-touch regulations.

To get back to the issue of Donegal, the same quarries in Donegal supplied counties such as Derry. It was the same material from the same quarries, but they took proper materials because there is no problem in the Six Counties, as has been highlighted today. Yet, we have problems here all over the country because of light-touch regulations made by previous Governments.

The current Government will have to ensure that people get redress and that they will get their homes in order because a person’s home is their castle. That is the one thing that they work for. They pay mortgages in the first place and they are paying it for the greater part of their working lives. They surely do not need to have problems as they move on in years and then have their apartments and their homes falling down around them.

I must speak about Kerry and the home relocation scheme that was in place to help people who were being flooded. I will mention one place in particular, Glenflesk. Because the river there had not been cleared out for years, homes became flooded and damaged. A home relocation scheme was put in place to help these people to buy other homes and to get out of the place. Sadly, at that time, the compensation they received was clearly not adequate to purchase the same quality of house away from the flood area. In recent times that river has been cleaned out and it has made a massive difference to the flooding situation. However, people’s homes were already damaged because of the stern refusal by the local authority, which would not agree to clearing out the river in the first place. Now their homes are damaged. While the river is clear now, those people who were on the relocation scheme were offered from €200,000 to €220,000. That is clearly not enough, given how costs have soared in recent times. They are not able to buy a house in another place because of the exorbitant costs.

There are also places like Birchill in Aghadoe and Aghadoe village, where people paid a lot of money for houses, but the treatment plant, or the treatment plans, were not adequate. These people paid adequately for the homes they bought at that time. In recent years, the Government allocated funds to address the treatment plants but that is not sufficient now, given the rising costs. I am appealing to this Government, and to the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke. Birchill and Aghadoe village are waiting for a proper treatment plant, as well as to be connected to the public sewer. The Government is not providing adequate funding to do to that. I am appealing to the Minister to take that on board and to ensure that the people of Glenflesk, Aghadoe and Birchill get proper compensation and that they are seen after.

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