John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and thank him for bringing forward this very important legislation which will help many thousands of families right across the country, particularly in affected counties. While the passage of this legislation has encountered some opposition in the Lower House over the allocated time given to debate it, it is important to note and to acknowledge the extensive work that was carried out by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which carried out three extensive engagements over eight hours last Friday week with industry experts including the SCSI, Engineers Ireland, Department officials, the Housing Agency and the chair of the expert working group. Most importantly, we heard from representatives of the families affected by defective blocks. We heard from the Mica Action Group in Donegal, the Clare Pyrite Action Group and the Mayo Pyrite Action Group. I acknowledge the work of those groups and many more individuals who have campaigned tirelessly on this issue to ensure that a scheme is put in place which will allow them the opportunity to get their lives back on track.

Following that engagement, the Oireachtas joint committee sent a cross-party letter to the Minister asking that a number of items be considered. Many of them can be addressed by regulation. It is important that that flexibility is built into the Bill, and I believe it is. The defective concrete blocks Bill before us underpins a new enhanced scheme to help homeowners with crumbling homes to rebuild and to move on with their lives. It is an unprecedented multimillion euro State intervention that certainly marks an improvement on the old scheme. While some may be of the view that there is no rush in getting this legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer recess, I do not subscribe to that viewpoint because without the legislation, we are essentially operating under the old system, which does not include the counties of Limerick and Clare and offers a maximum grant of €247,500 rather than the amount of €420,000 specified in this Bill.

The Bill contains many welcome changes to the original scheme and even to the initial draft of this scheme. It is important to acknowledge that those changes were made in response to feedback from affected homeowners and that the changes were recommended by the expert working group. Those changes include the likes of retrospective inclusion, an appeals process, a legal footing for certification of remediation and the Housing Agency taking on the cost of testing. Gone is the sliding scale, and foundations and other materials are being reviewed by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI. The scheme can be changed by regulation if required.

The Bill has at its core an ambition to provide a fair and equitable solution to homeowners affected by defective concrete blocks. I acknowledge the work that has been carried out to date by following: the working group between June and September of last year; the expert group between January and April of this year; John O'Connor, who has acted as homeowner liaison, since February to the present day; the Minister's Department officials; everyone who has engaged with the forum; and my Fine Gael colleagues from the affected counties, who have worked with the Minister in a proactive way in order to improve this legislation.

While the issue of pyrite and mica has not yet visited my county of Waterford, at least to my knowledge, I am acutely conscious of the devastating impact it has had on affected counties. To feel secure and comfortable in one's home is something most people take for granted, but the affected families' dreams, hopes and aspirations have effectively been crumbling around them. The mental stress and strain that have been inflicted on them is immeasurable. I believe that those families have waited long enough and I want to ensure that this legislation is passed as soon as possible.

The Government is also establishing a new building standards regulator and a builders' register and has tasked the NSAI with reviewing concrete block standards to ensure that the highest standards are complied with into the future. I cannot stress enough the importance of that measure. We heard some very concerning testimony at the Oireachtas joint committee that defective materials are still being put into circulation from a quarry in the south east. That is simply intolerable at a time when the State is rightly putting a scheme in place which will cost the taxpayers of this country in excess of €2.8 billion. We cannot allow similar scenarios to arise in the future. I urge the Minister to ensure that routine spot-checking is carried out on all quarries across the country in order to ensure we do not face this scenario again in ten or 20 years' time, particularly given we are putting this scheme in place.

As for the fair and equitable package for homeowners that we are discussing, we need to take account of inflation. The funding model for this scheme is based on the comprehensive body of work that was carried out by the SCSI. I acknowledge and thank its volunteers, who put in many hours of work into coming up with its formula and costings. There is no denying the fact, however, that things have moved on from February to where we are now and that there has been significant cost inflation in the construction sector, even in that short period. It is critical that we ensure that the payments in this scheme are adequate, fair and equitable and that families can have access to the amount of money they need to build safe homes and the homes they deserve. If that is in place, then the issue of downsizing is addressed because it will ensure that 100% redress is in place to allow for those people to build properties to the sizes of their choosing.

I appeal to the Minister and to the officials in the Department and in the Housing Agency to ensure that this scheme is made as easy to access as possible for homeowners. We all know as politicians that officials can put overly complicated systems in place that make it far more difficult than is necessary for people to access them. I ask, therefore, that things are put in simple and plain English in order that people in the affected counties can access what they need to get their lives back on track. That is what we are seeking today to do as a Government. We are seeking to ensure that people can move on with their lives and can access the necessary supports to do so.