Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important motion. The issue of defective concrete was a huge problem in Leinster but what we are seeing in Donegal and down along the north west and western seaboard is catastrophic in both its scale and the effect it is having on families.

The motion is very reasonable. It calls on the Government to "cease all partial remediation", to "reinstate the original determinations of [qualified] engineers", to "legislate to guarantee retrospective support", and to "establish an independent statutory authority" to deal with these matters. Those are some of the more important items that are called for in the motion.

It is really important to note that this is not just about the physical effects of houses falling down; people’s lives are literally falling down around them. People are paying huge mortgages for houses that are now crumbling. That is before health and safety issues and the effects they are having on people’s health are taken into account.

The appeals system, whereby appeals are left unresolved over a protracted period of time, is adding to these problems. The appeals system needs to be accelerated because clearly there are problems with it. Some homeowners have been forced into cheaper remediation works and downgrades. Many of those on whom these extra costs are being imposed are already stretched or in arrears with their mortgages, and that is before the added cost of renting accommodation is taken into account. That all has to be factored into consideration.

The remedial scheme has been, at times, pitched more like a grant than a remediation scheme. That is not good enough. This is not the fault of the people living in the homes. The people who bought or built these homes had no control over what kind of material was going into them, but the State can have an influence on this. People have no choice but to stay in these unsafe homes. It is important that the motion covers social housing, crèches, community facilities and businesses.

In 2014, the former Minister, Phil Hogan, brought forward the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, SI 9 of that year. I remind the House that prior to this, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats had crashed the building industry and economy, leaving every worker to pay an average of €400 per year, depending on interest rates. The black hole that was created during the economic crash had been caused by the Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fáil during the 2000s. The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 were an attempt to rectify a flaw in building standards and certification. I challenged Phil Hogan on this at the time. He put in place a system whereby the role would be carried out by a competent registered professional. The problem, which has not been rectified, is that the assigned certifier is appointed by the building owner, which means this is another form of self-certification. There is a flaw in building controls in this country. Regardless of what body or office is set up by the Minister, that flaw will remain until it is addressed. I raised this with Phil Hogan several times on the floor of the Dáil 11 years ago.

When it comes to the quarries, we cannot undo the past. We have to try to deal with the problem now. It is a big problem for the Government, the Opposition, society, taxpayers and the building industry to remediate and sort out all of this, but we need to stop these things from happening. Spot checks of the material coming out of quarries are needed in the interests of quality control. Quarry owners should know that there could be a spot check at any time that would stop the operation of the quarry. I am not trying to obstruct building work because we need to speed up a lot of it. Rather, I wish to ensure that samples are taken and tested scientifically and, where there is evidence of defective material, the quarry ceases operation. I appeal to the Government to bring in a system whereby the local authority or some other competent authority carries out that work. That is all I am going to say on the matter. I will leave it to the experts and the people of Donegal to carry on the discussion.

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