Pyrite-hit Mayo householders 'will not be sold a pup' on redress scheme, Dáil told

"Did the people in 1916 die for citizens to be treated like this?"

Two Mayo TDs last night spoke on a motion - tabled by Sinn Féin, calling for a 100 % redress scheme for homeowners affected by the pyrite and mica scandal - which was adopted unopposed.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh commended all the people who travelled to the protest in Dublin.

She said: "The unity between Donegal and Mayo over the years has been extraordinary.

"It has been many years since my colleague, Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, and I raised this issue in the Seanad. At that time, nobody would listen.

"I commend the work of the action committees. These are my neighbours, friends and people I know. They are worn out by how they have been treated, by both the previous government and this one.

"Josephine Murphy and Dorothy Keane have fought for years to get this scheme in place.

"When we first discovered pyrite in Mayo, the problem was, in the main, confined to the Erris area.

"Those two people in particular, with others like Michael Healy, fought for years for a scheme to be put in place. It is amazing that these people are not looking for compensation. All they are looking for is their homes to be reinstated.

"Laura Devers and Jaime-Lee Donnelly have taken up the case in Ballina, as have other members of the action group there, and I commend them as well.

The other day, a man described to me how a bat came in through his house. We have watched this happen over the years.

"We have watched the cracks widen and the government throw its hands in the air. Then, it came along with a take-it-or-leave-it scheme.

"That was the situation these homeowners were in with the so-called 90:10 scheme. It was take it or leave it and it was almost as if the government wanted people not to take it, so it could say it offered them something and then turn its back again.

"What part of 100% does the government not understand? The people who were here today were very polite and mannerly, as the people in the north west are, but the government should not mistake that for weakness.

"Something has happened within the west. There is unity within the west about not taking this any more. We do not begrudge the people in the east the 100% scheme they received because they deserved it too, but why should we be treated differently just because we live on the west coast? It happens time and again. Enough is enough and we are not taking it anymore.

"Those responsible for what happened here, including the government and light-touch regulators, have scampered.

"The insurance industry, the banks and the suppliers all disappeared because they are used to dealing with governments that do not hold them to account.

"They are used to dealing with governments that are so close to them that they do not have to be held to account. That has to stop now.

"I saw this come up time and again in the finance committee, whether with the tracker mortgages, the insurance companies or whatever else. It has to stop. The government is here to protect people and their livelihoods.

"Just because people have made applications to this scheme does not mean they have accepted that it is okay. The scheme is clearly not fit for purpose.

"We must look at the issues like the accommodation, windows, doors and energy. We need to go out of here this week and assure the people of Mayo, Donegal, Sligo, Clare and Limerick that they are going to get 100% redress.

I am very proud to be from County Mayo and we are fighting back and it is the government's responsibility to end this nightmare for those people.

"The Minister for Housing spoke about active consideration but that is not going to build any houses. It is not going to put to right the wrongs that have been done here. I ask the Minister to please not mince words.

"He must ask the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste to come out and agree with the Deputies who have spoken here tonight.

"They should instruct the local authorities on the changes to be made to the scheme in order that these houses can be reinstated.

"It is not only the houses that are crumbling; it is people's lives. I have witnessed it. People's physical and mental health has deteriorated. What has happened here is not right. Did the people in 1916 die for citizens to be treated like this?"

In his address, Deputy Dara Calleary stated: "I stand proudly to support this motion and thank Deputies Mac Lochlainn and Conway-Walsh for putting it forward.

"I acknowledge the minister's work on this issue in recent months and over the past number of days in particular. It is important that his huge effort and great personal commitment to the matter give results for homeowners.

"We do not have time for delays. Homeowners, their families and their communities do not have time. We need a scheme that begins to deliver without any further delay. Homeowners' lives are broken.

"For every crumbling block, there is a crumbling life. I spoke to homeowners this evening who have been campaigning on this issue for nearly ten years. I commend all of those involved.

"Their courage in telling their stories stands in contrast to the lack of courage and the behaviour of quarry owners and various agencies that have left homeowners abandoned in this.

"The motion commits to a scheme of 100% redress and that is what must be delivered. Priority must be given to homeowners but we cannot ignore the rental sector.

"To ignore those houses would mean being left with a decimated rental stock. There are other areas of home ownership that are excluded from the current scheme and they must also be addressed.

"We must have a mechanism to include homeowners in other counties, particularly County Sligo. The process for rolling out the scheme needs to be addressed and made much easier.

"The role of the Pyrite Resolution Board and its experience in running the current scheme should be incorporated within local authorities. There must be agreement on a communal and shared cost per square foot.

"In assessing applications, local authorities are using a model that is very different from the reality in terms of current building costs. Those costs have increased by 30% since February and many applications that were submitted at that time are going out of date.

"We need a State guarantee around building because builders will not engage with the scheme in that aspect. We also need to follow up on a State inquiry as to why those who caused this problem are getting away with it.

"If they are still getting away with it, that needs to be resolved urgently, without any further delay.

"The first scheme had the basis of a good system but its roll-out, the lack of commitment to it from local authorities and the detail of it, which did not involve homeowners, made it a scheme that is not working.

"We must ensure the homeowers own the scheme and that it delivers for their families and communities and will take away the trauma of their daily lives in houses with pyrite and mica.

"I acknowledge the trauma it is causing people, forcing them to leave bedrooms at night because of draughts and sleep in sitting rooms, or even forcing them to leave their homes.

"When they leave their homes to have them repaired, they must be given compensation for the rental costs.

I wish the Minster of Housing well with this. Residents in counties Mayo, Sligo and Donegal were sold defective blocks. They will not be sold a pup in relation to this scheme. I ask that the Minister to stand with them, because I certainly will."

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien stated: "We all know there is a very significant cost to the Exchequer in addressing this issue. That is just a fact.

"I believe changes are needed to the scheme and those changes will have the effect of increasing the cost. We need to quantify that cost, as was done when the initial scheme was put in place last January.

"From talking to people in Mayo, Donegal and other counties that could potentially be affected, not just today but over recent months, I know the impact this is having on their lives.

"I want to say very clearly to people that I, as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Taoiseach, the Cabinet and all my colleagues in government are committed to making changes to the scheme to ensure it works. There is a large body of work in this.

"Thousands of homes are affected and how we go about the work, either by remediating or replacing those homes, will in itself be a major task.

"We have a pyrite remediation scheme in regard to infill that has taken nearly ten years to remediate 2,000 homes. That shows the scale of the issue and what needs to be done as we scale up the scheme. We also need to look to the expertise we have within the Housing Agency.

"I said to residents is that my proposal is that there be no red lines and we have a full and open discussion to go through the issues.

"The most important aspect is that we work through and agree solutions, with the residents in the room and involved in the discussions on a time-bound basis.

"Eamonn Jackson, Michael Doherty, Eileen Doherty and Paddy Diver told me today that, in regard to the original scheme, they felt they did not have a part in the construction of it.

"To be fair, it was only by engaging with that scheme that the issues became clear. There is a large commitment from the State in general in regard to the cost, but we also need to look at those who were responsible and those who have responsibility, such as the insurers, producers and lenders.

"Many of the homes that will be remediated and brought back to full value by the State are the assets of lenders. People are still paying mortgages on them. There is a whole aspect to look at in this regard but I do not want it to delay the changes we need to make to the scheme.

"I made my proposal in good faith to residents. The initial response has been positive. We need to be focused and time-bound in our discussions and ensure we have a scheme that works for people. That is what I, as Minister, am committed to doing."