Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 10a:

In page 13, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following:"(r) Homeowners who have already undertaken remedial works in the six years preceding this scheme from its commencement shall be eligible
to apply to the scheme for compensation.".

The Minister will have received, through his Department and through colleagues, as I and my colleague, Senator Averil Power have, a great deal of representations in respect of individuals who have already undertaken remedial works. Our amendment proposes that homeowners who have already undertaken remedial works in the six years preceding this scheme from its commencement shall be eligible to apply to the scheme for compensation. I moved a Bill early last year seeking to amend the Statute of Limitations. I have met people who have spent significant moneys on their houses because they did not see any movement from this or the previous Government. Effectively, they are being penalised for having carried out the work. Many have borrowed and managed to remortgage their houses and get additional loans to carry out works to their homes at significant cost. While people welcome the moves here today they feel aggrieved. The works they have carried out the work, in many instances, were in the interests of safety. My amendment seeks that those individuals would be eligible to apply to the board and the applications could be assessed on a case by case basis. The cost of completing the pyrite test to assess the level of pyrite can be up to €6,000. The works on an average house can range between €30,000 and €40,000, and sometimes more, depending on the damage inside the house to fixtures and fittings. I think this is a reasonable proposition. While I recognise the Minister does not have an endless pit of money and he wants to deal with those houses that are in immediate need of remedial works, we must remember a significant number of houses and apartments have been remediated at a cost to the homeowners, which they can verify. We believe they should be eligible to apply to the scheme for compensation. We believe that if we are to proceed in a fair manner these individuals should be eligible to apply, perhaps after the most badly affected dwellings are remediated. Perhaps the Minister could give an indication in respect of VAT rebates and that individuals could write-off the cost against future tax liabilities that would not directly impact on the scheme. In this instance, those people are being left high and dry. I am interested to hear the Minister's views.