I very much welcome the fact that the scheme has been extended to Wexford and Dublin. That is a step in the right direction. We in Aontú remain very much of the belief, however, that 100% redress is required. Unfortunately, the scheme does not offer 100% redress. The scheme has been changed many times since it was first discussed, which is creating a massive amount of confusion. I have heard of cases whereby, incredibly, one semi-detached house may qualify and the one next to it may not. What type of a mess is that? Likewise, I have heard of cases where it is obvious to everyone that half of a property will need to be rectified down the line. Many homeowners cannot afford to enter the scheme. They cannot afford to pay upfront for the building condition assessments that are required. The fact that there are delays regarding payments - this was particularly the case with the most recent phase of payments - is resulting in some builders having to increase their prices. That is causing major issues for families, and it must be rectified. The instalment payments should not be late. There should be no excuses in that regard. The idea that there is still no scheme for social housing is a matter of deep concern. There are social houses in Mayo that, as everyone knows, were built using defective concrete blocks. There is no scheme available in respect of those homes. That needs to be rectified. There needs to be a scheme. We need to ensure that local authorities can get on with the business of rectifying the problems with those houses. This problem was created as a result of either light-touch regulation or no regulation at all. It is clear that the Government was asleep at the wheel in terms of the substances that were coming out of quarries. The result of that is that the State is paying hundreds of millions of euro to rectify the problem. It is quite incredible to think that, with the benefit of hindsight, we have learnt nothing, because the testing done in respect of what is coming out of quarries is completely inadequate. I listened to Deputy Charles Ward make this point eloquently and articulately. It is incredible to think that the Government will not listen. If it did listen to some of the wisdom that is coming from this side of the House, we might protect the future taxpayers of this country. I urge the Minister to consider the collective wisdom of this House and protect those future taxpayers. Houses are being built today, but not enough. The number being built, approximately 30,000 is far below the 50,000 target. However, we know that these houses are being built without the necessary checks being carried out to ensure that they comply with standards. We need better, more robust regulations and testing. Having both would benefit everyone. I urge the Minister to recognise that this should be a lesson. This should be a watershed moment in the context of making sure that the substances in the blocks and concrete that are coming out of quarries will be tested in order to ensure that future taxpayers will be protected. I urge the Minister to listen to logic when he hears it, to move in the direction suggested and to protect future taxpayers. No one in this House wants to see people going through the devastation of watching a home crumble. The hardworking people who are paying taxes certainly do not want to see their hard-earned money going to rebuilding houses for a second time.

Sentiment score: 0.08