I cannot believe I am reading this legislation. I have waited every week for it since March. It could have been done in April, May, June, July, August, September, October or November. Here we are now in December and this is what the Government gives us? Is the Government going to take all the calls from people in County Mayo tonight when they look at this legislation and see that 29 March is an arbitrary cut-off date? The Government cannot do this. We will obviously be putting in amendments to this legislation. Minister after Minister and official after official swore nobody would be disadvantaged by the point at which they went into this scheme. Now, this turns out to be blatantly false. I have been reassuring homeowners. There has been talk of cohorts here. I have been reassuring families that the legislation will come. The Minister could have introduced this legislation as an inconsequential amendment to the emergency planning Bill. I told the Minister and the Tánaiste in this Chamber. I have been telling them: "Do not worry; nobody will be left behind." Now the Minister comes and says 29 March is cut-off day. I am speaking to the Minister and the officials as well: for heaven's sake, please correct that. I am very conscious that this is not going to reach Committee Stage for another week and that families tonight are going to be in the same excruciating torture they have been in for months. The Minister has to change it. It is wholly unacceptable.
Sentiment score: -0.02
I do not know who thought it was acceptable, or who thought it was acceptable for the Minister to go back on his word. It is certainly not acceptable to me or to homeowners in Mayo. I also wish to raise retrospective payments. Time and time again, I have asked him to cover houses that people had to build before the scheme in. They have to be covered. There are gaps that people are trying to deal with. Let us take Páirc na Coille in Westport. There is €50,000 of a gap. How in the name of God does the Minister expect people to find €50,000? They cannot find it. It is just not there. Now I have to go back and tell some of them tonight: "Actually you are not included in this. He has excluded you." Jesus, I do not know what to say to the Minister at this stage. He says he stands ready to provide financial help. If this is what he stands ready to do, it is absolutely disgraceful. I want to take another matter up with him How does it take more than eight or nine months to get the results of tests that are done? I have people waiting since early this year to get the results back from the tests so they could get on with their work. Can the Minister give me an explanation before we leave the Chamber tonight as to why the tests take this long? Is he sending them to Mars? It is taking eight or nine months to get the results of the tests back. I am not an engineer but I can tell going into a house, because I have been in so many houses that are falling down, that somebody has pyrite. There is pyrite in the defective blocks in Mayo. It takes eight or nine months to get the results of tests back. Where is the scheme for the social houses? The Minister said the Government is putting away money for a rainy day. Is it not brilliant? What about the social houses in Mayo and other houses where the rain is coming in through the ceiling and rats and mice are coming through the gaps in the wall? Jesus, the Minister says that he is listening and it is so obvious that he is not hearing a word of what people are saying. We keep giving him the solutions and telling him what needs to be done but he still refuses to listen. I have to bring up with the Minister the current inspection of the quarries. There is a need to appoint a geologist to make sure the aggregate coming out of the quarries is fit for purpose now.
Sentiment score: 0.05
I am not confident in what is coming out and that the inspection regimes are good enough. The people in Mayo, because they have been let down time and time again, do not have confidence in that either. The Minister referred to alternative suitable accommodation. Deputy Pearse Doherty presented the Minister with a solution to it last week. Again, it was refused by the new the all-singing, all-dancing Minister for Finance. Again, when a solution was presented to him, the Minister for housing turned his back. There need to be changes here before next week, otherwise he must go down, face the people in Mayo and tell them.
Sentiment score: 0.00
The Minister of State has to take out the date of 29 March; I am begging him.
Sentiment score: 0.00