Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)

Sorry, I thought I was speaking. Deputy Ward has been a great inspiration to me and my constituency and has really brought this to the forefront. People in Cork are stopping me and talking to me about what the Deputy has brought up and about the injustice. The one thing this Government is very good at is drawing divisions in society, setting people against one another, whether it is the private sector against the public sector or this against that. We can see it today in this motion. For years we have seen thousands of families left behind in homes that are cracking. I met people with Deputy Ward, and they spoke about being worried when they go to bed at night about whether the roof is going to be there or what is going to collapse and whether their children are safe inside their house with the black mould on the walls. They are continuously cleaning and working together. They are stressed. Their children are stressed. Elderly people are stressed. They are worried day in day out. let us imagine the thought of going to bed wondering what will collapse, what will break, whether the next storm is going to be the one that brings down the house. That is an impossible situation for people. However, we have seen delay after delay from 2018 to 2025 with this scheme. There are continuous delays and dragging of heels. If Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher was a Minister in the previous Government, the situation would be very different. In fairness to him, he is a decent and honourable man who always provided well for his constituency and did a lot of work for his constituency. He is a character who really did deliver for Donegal, and I question whether if he was in the Cabinet the last time, the results would have been very different? The simple truth is the entire scheme that has been presented to us is not generous, is not scientific, is not independent and it is certainly is not fair.

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