Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House this morning. I thank not only him but also his Department, everyone who has worked on the defective concrete blocks working group and all of the homeowners who have so patiently engaged with the Minister, Department officials and the local authorities concerned.

This legislation is very important. This is about families' homes. This saga has been going on for more than a decade. I commend the Minister from a Fianna Fáil perspective. We were the only political party in the most recent general election to call out this issue in our manifesto. We have committed to the pursuit of a solution for the homes of the families who have been affected. The Minister has been true to his word since taking office when this Government was formed. He made it a priority and persisted with it as a priority when others would have sought to deflect, delay and divide. The Minister has stayed the course and is to be commended on that. It is easy to understand why he did so. The majority of us in this House believe access to a secure home is a basic human right. The families whose homes have been affected have been denied that basic comfort and right. The scheme that was in place when this Government took office failed those homeowners. It failed to provide them with sufficient support and redress. It was essential and necessary for the scheme to be reviewed and improved. I and my party believe this is a significantly improved scheme. We believe it will deliver for homeowners and give them the opportunity to restore their homes and to reclaim their lives. The defective concrete blocks Bill underpins the new, enhanced scheme. We share the Minister's sense of urgency and his desire to see this Bill passed as soon as possible so that the scheme can be implemented and, most importantly, made available to those families who desperately want to reclaim their lives.

A multibillion euro State intervention such as this is unprecedented but it is an exceptional situation. It is absolutely right for the State to intervene in these exceptional circumstances. We saw how the State intervened during the national emergency that was the pandemic. This emergency has affected the north west of our country and it is essential the homeowners and families are supported and that this unprecedented multibillion euro State intervention is made.

We want to see the scheme up and operating as soon as possible. We welcome the fact the grant has moved from 90% to 100% redress. That is absolutely appropriate. It is also welcome the overall maximum grant cap has been increased from €247,5000 to €420,000. That will cover 99% of the homes affected. It will not cover all of the built structures but will cover the family homes and the principal private residences, which is important.

We also welcome the fact the improved scheme has a guaranteed second grant option for the non-rebuild remediation, if that is required, and the second grant option will remain with the home and will be in place for 40 years. The Government has agreed to extend the scheme to additional counties, as required, and that is welcome. I would like the Minister, in his reply, to outline the timing and the process by which that will happen.

The other changes include the expansion of the eligibility from owner-occupied private principal residences to include properties registered with the Residential Tenancy Board. That is welcome. It will potentially bring another 7,500 family homes into the scheme. That is also welcome.

We note the omission of holiday properties and vacant properties. We agree the option that exists with the repair and lease scheme is a good route for those property owners to enter the scheme. It will also allow us to increase stock, which we need to do.

In his reply, will the Minister outline to the House the timeline for the establishment of an independent appeals mechanism? What is the process by which that will be achieved? The Government is also establishing a new building standards regulator and a builders register. It has tasked the National Standards Authority of Ireland to review the concrete block standards to ensure the highest standards are complied with in future. That is important.

Everyone in Fianna Fáil supports the legislation and the scheme, and the allocation of unprecedented public funds to the scheme to help homeowners. We also want to see some accountability. We all know the pressure families are under because of the cost of living. Fianna Fáil is constantly pushing the Minister and the Government for increased funding for affordable homes and affordable childcare. This €2 billion or more - who knows how much it will be? - is appropriate and needed for these families so their homes can be restored. It is also important for the State there is accountability on this issue so we know there is some deterrent in place, going forward.

The Minister will obviously have the support of the Fianna Fáil group in passing this legislation. I appeal to members of all parties and none to use our time here productively and constructively.Thousands of families are desperately waiting for this scheme. It is not a time for politics; it is a time for us to put a scheme in place and to make it available to the homeowners who need it. The Minister and the Government have demonstrated their ability to listen to the family homeowners, to work with them, to accept the shortcomings in the previous scheme, to amend it and to bring forward a massively improved scheme. Let us get this scheme passed for these homeowners and let us continue to work with them and the Government to ensure they can reclaim their homes and reclaim their lives.