I thank the Minister for being here. My colleagues have brought this up and the Whip is looking into the delay of the publication of this Bill. However, it is difficult to come in here this evening and to speak to it truly as our constituents expect us to do so. We would love to get to the bottom of why it was published so late that when we are speaking about issues, we can be well informed. Today's amendment is highly anticipated since grant increases were announced last October. Again, since this was published on 4 June, families have been wondering if they can sign off on their homes and leave the scheme. Homeowners have been wondering if they will be included in the amendment. Week after week after week, we have been getting questions about when this is going to happen and when it is going to pre-legislative scrutiny. I understand the importance of getting it here fast and people want it before Christmas, but many feel they have missed the opportunity to make representation on pre-legislative scrutiny. The people we are talking about bought or built their houses in good faith and they are depending on us to help them. These people are beyond stressed. I welcome this amendment, which is an improvement. It will increase flexibility, but it is not enough. I am still calling for the full review that we have promised in the programme of Government. I am still thinking of the constituents that I know who are elderly and want to sell their home with the grant intact. They do not want to face into a rebuild. We need to consider mental and physical health supports. We talked a lot about suicidal thoughts among families. There are real physical conditions emerging, such as people with ticks and tremors that they are dealing with from the stress of this. Families were hoping for pre-legislative scrutiny. However, here we are; it is December 2025. The increases were announced in October 2024. I welcome that we are getting this legislation published quickly, but I regret that we have not had pre-legislative scrutiny. The increase of 10% that will now be applied retrospectively is a welcome relief for many, but I am still going to get the question: "If I pay my bills now, will I get my retrospective payment?" According to what I have read today, they will be able to submit unpaid invoices for consideration of payment. I had a constituent in Páirc na Coille, Westport want me to ask the Minister if she will be able to get the retrospective payment if she pays her final bill now. Her contractors were waiting for her to pay in September. That is not clear from today, but maybe I am wrong. I was also asked by a cancer patient: "If anything happens to me, will my children be able to take over the scheme?" I know improvements have been made today in relation to the relevant owner - it might apply to cohabiting people - but I am not sure if it applies to children if they were left behind. I welcome that homeowners may now apply for ancillary grants. That is really key for families with children with additional needs or physical disabilities where adaptations are needed and it might not be as easy to get temporary accommodation. That is a real practical improvement within the scheme. I welcome the extension of a possible 24 weeks, or five and a half months, that may be applied for because the current time of 14 months just is not enough. We know how difficult it is to get a builder, plumber or painter, etc., at the moment. Recently, I spoke to a lady who told me they demolished the house but then could not find the foundations. They had to keep going down and down. She told me how much time it took to remove so much soil. Then they had to put stilts into the house. That has added on a huge amount of time. Hopefully this extra 24 weeks will be enough. I think we can all agree it is difficult to get a house built quickly in the current climate. It is fantastic that we have so many Mayo representatives here today. We always tell our constituents at home that the Mayo TDs put on the Mayo jersey, as I am sure the Donegal TDs do. We have had Government and Opposition Deputies in the House. We will continue to work together for our constituents. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, mentioned Clodagh Gleeson. I hope the representatives and local authorities across the country who are dealing with this are as empathic and hard working as Clodagh, who often stays up late at night at weekends trying to support the residents in Mayo. I pay tribute too to the Mayo Pyrite group, the members of which were here protesting last weekend. I hope they welcome this proposal. I know it will not be the full review they want but it is definitely welcome. I thank the Minister of State for bringing this legislation forward. I hope we can go further and get the full review as quickly as possible so we can get full redress, or as close to it as possible, for our constituents.

Sentiment score: 0.13