Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am a Mayo woman at home in my own house. I rise today to bring to the attention of the House something I have spoken about again and again. Last Sunday we saw the horrific scenes all over social media of a fire in an apartment complex in Blanchardstown. That set absolute fear and panic among apartment and duplex owners in complexes where there are known construction defects and fire defects in particular. For months now I have been asking for a statement in this House. We need clarity. We need to raise issues with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We need clarity and a clear timeline of when homeowners will have money in their hands.

Last January the Government made a monumental decision to fund up to €2.5 billion in remediation works throughout the country in all of these apartment complexes. However, the process of getting money into the hands of apartment owners like those in Park West, who are facing a bill of €68,500 each, so the remediation works can be done in those complexes, seems to involve establishing committee after committee with no end in sight. That needs to end. We need clear direction and clear information. I am asking the Leader to urgently schedule statements in this House so that we can interact with the Minister. There are constructive things that need to be ventilated with him and we need to hear from him. I have no doubt that he is doing a great amount of work around this but we need it urgently.

Today at 1 p.m. the Not Our Fault campaign, which represents homeowners and is led by Sam and Odette Doran from Park West, will be at the gate as they are every Wednesday. I ask Senators to go out and engage with them, support them, hear their plight and listen to them. Let us get this done. The decision for the money has already been made. Now let us get the money into their hands and let people live in their safe homes.