Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will know there are 345 homes affected in County Mayo. This is not good enough, not by a long shot. People want a redress scheme. They are grateful to the Minister for doing the report in the first instance, but all the language he has used today suggests that what people really need will be hidden behind these lines. We must face up to the fact that these home owners were let down. They were sold materials that were not fit for purpose. That was clearly stated in the report. The State had an obligation to protect them in that regard. We failed to do that. We failed to implement the legislation already there, and we failed to have the legislation that would further protect these home owners.

Nothing short of a redress scheme will fix this problem. We can talk about it for years. We can write volumes of reports. That will not cut the mustard. We need a redress scheme, and we need it now. There are two ways we can get this scheme. As this is a housing issue, can the money needed be found within the amounts allocated to housing or will there be a line in the budget for a redress scheme? They are the two questions those of us in County Mayo, and in County Donegal, need answered. I thank my colleague, Senator Mac Lochlainn, for raising this important issue again, which we have been driving for over a year.