Rose Conway-Walsh slams counter motion on defective concrete crisis
Rose Conway-Walsh co-signed a motion with Charles Ward and colleagues and spoke on behalf of the people of Mayo, condemning a government counter motion on compensation for defective concrete blocks. She criticised the motion's language, said homeowners have been gaslighted, and warned that light or no regulation has cost taxpayers "2.2 billion plus".
Motion and representation
Rose Conway-Walsh said she co-signed the motion on behalf of the people of Mayo and the families she has represented for the last 15 years. She recalled that houses began to crumble in Eris and noted the presence of Pat the Coop Gallar among those affected.
Critique of the counter motion
She described the counter motion as appalling and repeatedly attacked its wording, saying phrases like "eligible expenditure" will not cut it for homeowners. She accused the government of gaslighting affected families and challenged the minister directly on the adequacy of the response.
Compensation gaps and costs
Conway-Walsh questioned how the minister could ever compensate families affected by defective concrete blocks and said children's childhoods have been robbed. She highlighted that many homeowners remain tens of thousands of euros short of rebuilding costs, criticised the treatment of PRSI relative to DCB and the suggestion that the shortfall is the homeowners' fault, and cited "2.2 billion plus" as the cost of light regulation.
Appeal to colleagues and voters
She urged TDs casting votes on the motion to consider the suffering of homeowners and families who endured this through no fault of their own. She called the counter motion "disgraceful" and appealed for greater accountability and a more comprehensive remedy for affected homeowners.
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I am very happy to co-sign this motion here today with Charles Ward and my colleagues. And I do so on behalf of the people of Mayo. And I do so on behalf of the people that I have been fighting with for the last 15 years. 15 years we first noticed that the houses started to crumble in Eris and I see Pat the Coop Gallar is here, he will know many of those houses that were impacted by families. And I am just appalled by this counter motion that you have put in today. And by the language that is in it. And I will go through some of it. Nor a compensation scheme. Minister, how the hell do you think you would ever compensate the families who have been impacted by defective concrete blocks? How do you think you would compensate the children who were maybe three at the time when it first noticed that their homes were crumbling? Their childhoods have been robbed from them. Robbed from them by this government and by Fianna Fáil and by the cost of the Galway tent because that is what it comes down to. And I want people listening here today to know that the cost to them, to the taxpayers, to everyone who pays baht in this country. The cost to them of the Fianna Fáil light regulation and no regulation is 2.2 billion plus. 2.2 billion plus is what they are paying back. That is what they are being asked to pay. I will go down through some of the rest of it. But the lives that have been destroyed and the lives that have been cut short. The people who are no longer with us who are caught up in this through no fault of their own. Eligible expenditure. Eligible expenditure. Eligible expenditure. Well, to somebody looking at that who do not know exactly what the carry-on is happening here and how the government is gaslighting homeowners may think that that is the problem solved. Eligible expenditure. How can it be 100% when people are €50,000 plus, plus short of what it is costing them to rebuild their homes, never mind to rebuild their lives? Then you go on to say the PRSI relative to DCB and the flexibility sought by DCB homeowners. So really it is the homeowners fault that they do not have a 100% wraparound scheme as was provided before. This is a disgraceful, disgraceful, disgraceful counter motion. There are many more things that I can say in relation to this. But Minister, you need to wake up and I would appeal to all of the TDs who are casting their vote for this motion or against this motion to think long and hard about the suffering that these homeowners have had to endure and that these children and families have had to endure through no fault of their own. It is absolutely disgraceful.
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