Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

I express my solidarity and thanks to Deputy Ward for bringing the motion before the House. He has done exactly what he said he would do. He is the 100% Redress Party representative, and he is using every opportunity he can to get 100% redress.

It is great to see other Members, from the west and north west, in particular, showing support and solidarity today. As someone who is Dublin-based, I have met people who had families broken up because of the situation, who are living in uncertainty and who have been financially ruined. It is not to the extent the other Deputies have all experienced but I understand and we need fairness.

Going back to when it happened, there were multiple parties involved. Obviously, there were the concrete blocks suppliers, the builders and developers but, equally, as Deputy Lawless said, there was the Government. It was responsible for the light touch regulation or no regulation and poor oversight, especially in the Celtic tiger and back in the days when there was the Fianna Fáil tent. Developers gave large donations to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, in particular. There was a really cosy relationship. The buck stops with the people who were expecting good times from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael because they have put families in turmoil and they need to pay their fair share. Equally, if that is not possible for different reasons - companies might have gone to the wall, for example - the Government and the taxpayer have to take responsibility. It is the right thing to do.

As Deputy Ward's motion says, partial repairs are not suitable. There needs to be full redress. The Government needs to listen to the experts and the engineers who have done the reports and not leave people unsafe in their homes. A fair scheme that is applied retrospectively is needed. An independent statutory authority is also required. As well as supporting the families, the community buildings that have been affected need to be looked at.

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