Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not go down the road of strange funny money mentioned by the other two parties. I believe we can do something practical in this House. The power-sharing Executive collapsed as a result of cash for ash and there has been no democratic voice in the Assembly since then. Considering what has happened in London, it is now urgent to get the Assembly back up and running. It would be helpful if we could have a debate with the Minister on what practical things can be done to get the power-sharing Executive back up and running at this dangerous period in Irish history. Let us clearly recall the reason it collapsed. Can we put a protocol in place in respect of cash for ash, set aside preconditions and get the Assembly back in place and focused on representing the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic and the dangers they face with a breakdown of negotiations on Brexit, which is where I believe we are going?

I wish to raise another point with the Leader on which he might facilitate me. He has heard me on many occasions raising legacy issues for apartment owners. I quoted the figure of approximately 70,000 apartment owners who are facing legacy issues, with bills ranging from €10,000 to €52,000 to rectify their apartments. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, said that the State will not take on responsibility for this, but the State has stepped into other areas such as the dodgy cement blocks used in Donegal and Mayo as well as pyrite. We cannot leave so many apartment owners swinging in the wind with huge financial debt and threats from fire officers that they will have to vacate their homes. Before the recess I asked the Minister of State, Deputy English, to facilitate meetings and he said he would. Unfortunately, that did not happen over the summer.

Will the Leader use his good offices to contact the Minister on behalf of this House, as many other Members, including the Leader, have raised this issue as well? We must work out a practical solution for people who bought apartments with legacy, fire and water egress issues. Basically, they were poorly built apartments due to the lack of regulation. There is an onus on us. The legislation relating to self-certification was changed in this House and the Dáil so there is a responsibility to work out a solution for the 70,000 families. As I said, something was worked out with regard to dodgy cement blocks in Donegal and Mayo and in some circumstances in respect of pyrite. Assistance must be given to people who own apartments and are in danger of losing their homes.