Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

I will reiterate the point. This is the unfortunate reality. I understand that people want to make profits and all of the rest but, if you are a landlord in Donegal, you can rent to a Ukrainian family and are guaranteed the money because the State provides it. It is the equivalent of €1,200. It is different if you rent to a family whose home is affected by defective blocks. On the €15,000, that €15,000 comes off the money the family has to use to rebuild their home. If it takes 18 months to demolish and rebuild their home, they cannot do €1,200. It is too much. It is way above the market rent in Donegal.

I have stood in many of these homes. We talked about compassion. When I stand in these homes, I think about myself and my kids. A lot of TDs think like that. We step into the shoes of the person we are talking to. I have been in homes that no family should be living in. I have been in homes whose owners have told me they cannot use any of the plugs in the kitchen and have had to move stuff into another room, an old bedroom or something like that, because every time the plug goes on, the fuseboard trips. You can see water ingress. In some cases, you can see daylight. Nobody should be in these homes. Why are they in these homes? There are a number of reasons. One is the scheme itself but, in some cases, there is no other accommodation. I am not saying this is a silver bullet. I have never suggested it is. However, if this releases one, two, ten or 20 properties and takes a bit of the nightmare away for individuals, we will have done a good job. It is so much wider than this. There should be proper planned accommodation and a phased rebuild of houses. I am not even going to argue for that at the minute. I am arguing for this part.

The Minister has not given one reason not to support this amendment now. I recognise that he has said he will engage constructively but he has not offered one reason not to support the amendment now. The families affected by defective blocks deserve the same treatment as other people in my county and elsewhere when they are going through this nightmare. I will push amendment No. 11 when we come to it.

See this speech in context