Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, for attending to deal with it. It is very disappointing that the Minister of State, Deputy English, who has direct responsibility, is not here to take the matter and to account for his handling of the issue to which it relates. The Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, can update us as to why he is not here. I can only assume it is because he does not want to have to account for how this has been dealt with and delayed.

To summarise, there has been an ongoing issue for a number of years in Donegal whereby houses have been affected by defective blocks containing high levels of mica. As a result, the walls of houses across Donegal have been deteriorating to varying degrees. In some cases, it has gone to the extent that houses are no longer habitable and will have to be demolished. In the vast majority of cases, it is the outer leaf of the two walls that is affected by cracking and it has not gone to the inside. Time is of the essence, however, because homes are deteriorating and the pressure and stress on families is immense, as one can imagine.

Unfortunately, at every stage of this process, the Government has had to be pulled and dragged in order to get it involved to deal with the issue and to assist those families involved. Finally, after much lobbying, the Government announced in November 2015 that it was going to establish an expert panel to examine the issue and come back with recommendations as to what the remedies might be. The terms of reference for that panel, announced in November 2015, indicated that the conclusion of the report was to be finalised by 31 May 2016 - that is last year, not 31 May 2017, which is just two weeks away, so we are almost a year past the reporting date announced by the Government. Naturally, the Government announced this three months before the general election but, after that, it dragged its heels once more. It did not appoint a chairman of that expert panel until February. It then announced the report would not be published until the summer. The report was delayed until October and we were then told that it would not be available until Christmas. In February it was finally submitted to the Government. For the past two to three months we have been told it is with the Attorney General but there is no sign of it being published.

Meanwhile, homeowners across County Donegal and in parts of Mayo are waiting to discover the results and recommendations of that expert panel. That panel comprised engineers and people from different disciplines. Those individuals met homeowners, examined houses and also took scientific advice as to what exactly was the dynamic which was causing these blocks to be defective, and what the possible solutions would be. Homeowners are waiting to see what that expert panel decides and what the remedies might be before they take action.

Once this report is published and assessed, the next issue will be to move on to a redress scheme to assist homeowners to provide remedies. It is clear that families will not be able to afford the type of repairs which are required. Unfortunately, the Government has been found wanting at all stages and has delayed and dithered. It is time for the dithering to stop and for the report to be published. It is with the Government and the families are looking forward to seeing it. Can the Minister of State indicate that it will be published and give us a commitment that this will be done immediately?

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McConalogue for raising this matter. I apologise that the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, cannot be present. I do not know why that is but I was asked to take the Topical Issue. I will read the reply, although I am sure Deputy McConalogue knows most of the details, and I will then take questions.

I will be taking this matter on behalf of Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the very difficult and distressing situation that certain homeowners in Donegal and Mayo are facing on account of damage to the structural integrity of their homes. It is the Minister's firm belief that the parties responsible for poor workmanship, the supply of defective materials or both should face up to their responsibilities and take appropriate actions to provide remedies for the affected homeowners.

An expert panel on concrete blocks was established by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in April 2016 to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Donegal and Mayo. The membership of the expert panel on concrete blocks was formally announced on 6 April 2016, following the appointment of the chairperson, Mr. Denis McCarthy, on 1 February 2016.

The panel has the following terms of reference: to identify, in so far as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the block work in the counties of Donegal and Mayo; to carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected home owners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings; to outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and to submit a report within six months.

The expert panel on concrete blocks met on 12 occasions since it was first established and a similar number of meetings have taken place with key stakeholders, including affected home owners, the elected members of Donegal County Council and Mayo County Council, local authority officials, industry bodies, academics, public representatives and other interested parties. A substantial volume of information has been provided by affected home owners in both counties, as well as from Donegal County Council and Mayo County Council. Additional information was also provided through the consultation process.

The panel has now concluded its meetings and is in the process of finalising its report which is undergoing legal proofing, which I anticipate will be completed shortly. In this regard, the Minister will await the outcome of the panel's report before considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in the two counties.

I am sure the Deputy will tell me he knows all that. I will refer to some of his statement when he concludes.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. She is correct that I am going to come back and say I know all that. There is no new information there. I have asked parliamentary questions consistently, both on the floor of the Dáil and for written answer, to the Minister for the past number of years but in particular in regard to the conclusion of this report in the past number of months. Recent replies I have got have been exactly the same with no change in the position. It is the same today.

As I said, the Government has been ducking and diving on this issue. Unfortunately, the Minister seems to be ducking and diving in terms of accounting for it here today.

The commitment, when this was announced in November 2015 some three months before the general election, was that the report would be finished by 31 May last year. It is almost 31 May one year later and there is still no report.

This report is completed and it is on the Minister's desk. He does not need to obfuscate or indicate that somehow he does not have it and that it is undergoing legal proofing, because we have been told in oral responses here previously that he has it and that he has referred it to the Attorney General. It is more ducking and diving, instead of generating a sense of urgency on this and publishing the report.

Families cannot wait on it. They have been expecting it for a long time. They cannot get their own expert advice, with each talking individually to scientists about the issue and to engineers about the solution. It is up to the expert panel to collate that.

The panel has been charged with that work. Its final result is the report which everyone, including the families themselves and the Members of the Dáil, needs to consider. Subsequently, we must determine what supports, remedies and schemes need to be put in place to provide financial assistance to families, which will be a job of work. Much work will need to be done to address and remedy these family homes. Will the Minister of State go back to the Minister of State, Deputy English, and tell him to get a move on, stop ducking and diving on this, and publish this report?

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I note the frustration of both the Deputy and those who have lived in homes which are falling down around them, which I have seen, not only in person but in documentaries as well.

All I can give the Deputy is the information I have been given. When speaking to the Department before I came in here, because I anticipated the Deputy's reaction to the reply, I was told that the report is still with the Attorney General, the Minister hopes to receive it in the next couple of weeks and then it will be outlined to Members, the local authorities and, in particular, to the homeowners.

I will bring back to the Minister the Deputy's concerns and, above all, frustration. Being honest with the Deputy, if I was receiving this reply I would be as frustrated as he is. I can only relay to the Deputy what I have been told by the Department and in the reply.

I will follow it up for the Deputy and I will make sure that gets his answer. However, my information from the Department is that the Minister has not received the final document. It is with the Attorney General because many issues were raised during the consultation process and in meeting owners of these houses. All I can give the Deputy is the information I have but I will come back to him or ask the Minister to come back to him regarding when the document will be finally published, if that is to the Deputy's liking.