Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the programme for Government commitment to establishing a building standard regulatory authority to undertake a planned review of the defective concrete blocks scheme and to expand the scheme to other counties. However, the programme for Government does not go far enough in committing to a full 100% redress scheme for the families affected by the defective concrete crisis. I am extremely disappointed that the new programme for Government completely missed the opportunity to include genuine science-based facts. We continue to implement the current scheme, which does not and has never worked. The Government claims the scheme will evolve but it should never have had to evolve given that we knew the problems in the first place. The previous Government ignored the lived reality of homeowners, ignored 82 home amendments that may have made the scheme workable and rejected pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill pretending it was to do with patience. We waited a year. If this had gone through pre-legislative scrutiny, we would not be in the mess we are in currently. We are now left with a scheme that is completely unfit for purpose. I ask the current Government not to make the same mistake again. This crisis needs a practical, humane approach, such as side-by-side building where a homeowner has the space to do so. People need to get on with their lives. Bridging finance needs to be considered.

Side-by-side building has the potential to provide a solution at zero cost to the State and we give families, particularly where families have members with disabilities or older vulnerable people the chance to build on their land if they have the room to do so. The lack of working capital for homeowners means families are being forced into financial uncertainty. Many have to act as project managers. It is an impossible and unjust burden to put on anybody. A plan for bridging finance needs to be considered. People simply cannot access this scheme without having the funds to do so. The current grant scheme for defective concrete completely lacks alternatives and consistency. Families are given no alternative and no accommodation, just remediation programmes that do not work.

Many are left to live in dangerous homes and face severe hardship while waiting for solutions. The wait drags on for years with no end in sight. I ask the Government to rethink the scheme and approach this in the programme for Government. Going forward, we must ensure immediate action is taken with technical reviews and confidence is restored in the Housing Agency which at the moment is not there. We must address the financial hardship many families face and we do by supporting all vulnerable groups that are in this. I remain ready to work with the Government to contribute practical and humane solutions to address this humanitarian crisis.

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