Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This Commencement matter relates to flooding. If there is time, I hope to speak later on how flooding events in the past ten years have completely destroyed many areas in Listowel.

Today I bring to the Minister of State's urgent attention a deeply distressing case involving the Gabrielyan family in Listowel, County Kerry, and the limitations of the OPW flood relocation scheme, VHR. The Minister of State will know well the voluntary homeowners relocation scheme, VHR, which came into effect in 2017. This family - Liene and Artur and their two sons - have endured unimaginable hardship. Their home in Gortacrossane has been flooded three times, most recently in 2023, and they were evacuated again in November 2024. The entire contents of the house were destroyed and the property - their home - is now uninhabitable with black mould, damp and structural decay.

The family was approved for the OPW relocation scheme in November 2021, and after the most recent flood, their offer was increased. While this may appear notable, it has proven entirely inadequate in the current housing market. Over the past three years, the Gabrielyans have made numerous bids on houses, only to be repeatedly outbid. The terms of the scheme have severely restricted their ability to compete. They cannot use any of the funds offered by the OPW as a deposit, which must instead come from their own resources, a demand that is simply not feasible for the family, especially while they continue to service a mortgage on their uninhabitable house. Further, under the relocation scheme no funds are released until their home is demolished. The bank mortgage clause, however, requires the sale be finalised within three months of demolition, an almost impossible task given today's housing market.

In effect, this places the family in an impossible situation. To secure another home, they must first render themselves homeless. In one heartbreaking example from December 2023, the Gabrielyans put down a deposit for a house and arranged to live there as caretakers while the deal was finalised. When the sellers learned there would be a delay in funds due to the nature of the OPW procedures, the vendors pulled out of the sale.

This family has lived in fear for more than a decade. Their young sons have been traumatised, sleeping with torches by their beds and racing up ladders to the attic, once warnings are sounded, to save their personal items from flood water. Their mental health is deteriorating, their parents are at breaking point and they have done everything right. They have paid their mortgage, engaged with the Minister of State's Department and the OPW and they have sought legal guidance, yet they remain trapped in a cycle of loss and hopelessness.

This is not just a policy issue; it is a moral crisis. We have a duty of care to these children. The State has an obligation to not only provide safe housing but to ensure its own schemes are designed to support, not block, families in crisis. I therefore call for the urgent review of the terms of the OPW relocation scheme in this case. I wish to allow for a portion of the relocation funds to be used as a deposit, as is standard in private sales.I want to ensure bridging support or temporary accommodation is provided during the gap between demolition and new purchase. This makes sense. Most important, there is a need to review and increase the offer to reflect the reality of the current housing market in Kerry, where even modest homes are now attracting bids in excess of €350,000. Let us not allow bureaucracy to prolong the suffering of this family. They have waited long enough and it is time we acted with compassion and with common sense. As I have said from the get-go, Listowel has been a lightning rod over the past ten years. This family were the first to be really affected by flooding events that have changed and destroyed areas. The Minister of State has seen this himself. This family have been through hell more times than Satan. I look forward to the Minister of State's answer. It is to be hoped we can come to a conclusion on this.