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

As this is an important debate with implications for thousands of families across the State, I fail to understand why there is not even a Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage present to hear what we have to say. I ask the present Minister of State, who is at the Department of Justice, to ensure Ministers read back the transcript of what we are about to say. In particular, my constituency colleague, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, should do so. It is important he hears what I have to say.

On the background to the defective blocks in Donegal and the west of Ireland, as many as 13 or 14 counties are affected. I can speak with great authority about my home county of Donegal. I live in Buncrana on the Inishowen Peninsula. It is the epicentre of an absolute disaster caused by the utter failure in regulation of the construction sector. People have been left utterly traumatised and devastated by all this. After many years of campaigning and trying to get to the truth of what happened, the Government of the day came up with a 90:10 scheme. People wanted to give this a chance; it was better than nothing. That scheme has become utterly discredited. On the back of that, the people of Donegal and Mayo rose up. That culminated a year ago in 20,000 people marching in this city to demand justice and a scheme that would allow them to rebuild their lives. The Government said that would happen. The months dragged on but then in July of this year, it finally came up with the updated scheme. The homeowners were engaging in good faith and it looked like the issues they were asking be addressed would be. The proposals were entirely reasonable and many would cost nothing to the State, but they were left out of the scheme.

We then forced some degree of pre-legislative scrutiny at the housing committee. Limited as it was, at least it was something. It was a day of scrutiny. Then there were all the amendments. There were 80 amendments for the homeowners but all put forward by the Opposition were turned down. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue challenged my party on what legislation we had brought in and what amendments. Did he not pay any attention? He was not present, did not pay any attention to the pre-legislative scrutiny and did not listen to the concerns of the homeowners. When it came to actual legislation coming through here he did not seem to contribute a whole pile. He made a bit of a speech. Did he not witness the Opposition collectively putting forward 80 separate amendments on behalf of the homeowners? Those are the amendments he was looking for. He asks now about Sinn Féin publishing amending legislation. For his information, we will be working with homeowners. Maybe he does not understand the legislative process but when legislation is passed, it takes six months for amendments to that legislation to be accepted by these Houses. Those six months will have passed in mid-January. After mid-January, we will introduce legislation to amend the Government legislation, which still has not been enacted by the way. We will introduce that in co-operation with the families and we will go back at those issues again because we believe this updated scheme is entirely flawed when it comes to bringing justice and 100% redress to our people. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue has challenged us on that issue. I am sorry he did not pay attention back in July to the debate that took place. He did not listen to the homeowners or follow their amendments. We are going to bring them back in again in mid-January, if he is so concerned. I hope he can support this and finally get behind the people of Donegal and do what is right by them when the opportunity comes again.

I wanted to put all that on record because I want all the homeowners affected by defective apartments who were in the Gallery recently to learn from what happened to us in Donegal and those in Mayo. They should know when you are engaging in good faith in a process you could be betrayed in a moment's time. They should learn from our experience to ensure that all the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed. People are entitled to 100% redress. No matter where you live in this State, if you are a victim of pyrite, defective blocks or of the cowboys who built houses during the Celtic tiger for pure greed, you are entitled to justice and to 100% redress. Do not accept assurances. Check everything and get it right. I tell the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, that we will be back come January and we will try again to make the Government do what is right by the victims of this utter travesty and scandal.

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