Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that. The Minister of State is very familiar with this issue. I know he has visited Donegal a number of times and met affected families. He knows it very well at this stage. Even though it had limited terms of reference, the expert panel report, which was published almost four months ago, clearly demonstrated that there was a profound failure in State oversight of the manufacturing of concrete blocks. There was also a failure in building control regulations. Looking at the eight recommendations, it can be seen that they clearly point to a failure in State oversight. What does that mean? According to this report, and based on my own evidence in Donegal, it means that thousands of families in Donegal were profoundly failed by the State. The biggest investment a family will make is, of course, the purchase and securing of the family home through a mortgage or loan. It is a huge investment. They have been left not just with unsafe homes but also with this financial distress. It is deeply distressing for the families. This expert panel report was delayed by one year. This is another year of distress, worry and not knowing what is going to happen. We are now a further four months down the line. All I am asking for is that the families affected in Donegal and Mayo receive the same support from this State as did families in Dublin and north Leinster who were affected by pyrite. We are just asking for equality of treatment and equality of support from the State.

There is no more time for dragging heels. The Minister of State knows what needs to be done. We need a redress scheme in order that families can make their homes safe. I have spoken to families in Donegal who are worried that the bison concrete slabs between their floors could come down on top of them. They are worried that their gable could collapse. The Minister has heard these stories as well. We must do something about this. There must be financial supports for families who are already paying a mortgage. They have seen their houses devalued profoundly, so in the vast majority of cases they do not have the financial capacity to do it themselves.

The State needs to step up here. It failed in its responsibilities. The concrete block is the core component of the family home in Ireland. Not ensuring those blocks were manufactured to a proper safe standard and that building control measures were right and proper was a huge failure. It is a collective failure of our State and we need see collective responsibility being taken. Now, four months after the publication of this report, I urge the Minister of State, please, to put in place a redress scheme for the families in Donegal and Mayo who desperately need the Government's help.