Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

The Leader will be aware that it is more than five months since the residents of Priory Hall had to leave their homes. Those residents have also been waiting five months for a meeting with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Taoiseach. Unfortunately, as residents of Priory Hall waited outside the Department of the Taoiseach today, their request for a meeting was not granted. This is not just a local issue; it is a very serious issue. Dublin City Council is contesting the fact that it must pay rental for these people even though it is clear the council was negligent in building control and enforcement. Can the Leader say whether the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government will meet concerned citizens of the State who have been made homeless but are still paying mortgages on properties that are now worthless?

My second question is also related to building regulations. How many times has the committee on pryrite met since it was established by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government? When is its report due to be published? I have raised this matter on a number of occasions. More than 72,500 houses on the east coast of Ireland could potentially be affected by pyrite, and the longer the Government lets this committee sit, the greater the number of people who will be statute barred from litigation. The statute of limitations is six years and there has been no action from the Government on this matter. Will I have to ask again this time next year when the pyrite committee will report? Can the Leader say when it will report and, most importantly, how many times the committee has met so far?

This is a very serious matter for the greater Dublin and east coast area in particular. Many people have been in contact with me and my colleagues about it. They cannot afford the legal cost of going to court. The Leader will also be aware that HomeBond has washed its hands of this; the insurers are avoiding all responsibility. Of the 72,500 houses that are potentially affected, only 700 have been remediated to date - most of them in my constituency - on foot of a court case that was taken. There should be some urgency on the part of the Government in this regard.

I note the announcements from the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. Some educationalists on the other side of the House have already raised their hands to contribute and I am sure they will welcome the construction of certain school buildings which has been announced by the Minister over the last couple of days. It is the third and fourth announcement in many cases. While I realise we will have an opportunity to debate this with the Minister, it is interesting to note that the funding announced for the five-year period is €1.5 billion. That is substantially less than the €1.9 billion announced in the four-year plan for new school buildings.

It is also ironic that many of the schools mentioned in the list have already been built. In my constituency Loreto secondary school, Balbriggan, is referred to in the list of projects on site in 2012. The people on site are the students. This project was announced in 2009 and the extension is built. There are many other examples. I am aware of another school in Tallaght which has already been built. The Minister has used his good offices to make at least four separate announcements on this issue.