Danny Healy-Rae: Fix Donegal's defective homes now
Danny Healy-Rae speaks in support of Charles Ward's motion on defective homes in Donegal, urging the Minister to act immediately to repair foundation failures. He criticises regulators for inaction and calls for a straightforward remedial plan to protect families and children.
Danny Healy-Rae backed Charles Ward's motion, pressing the Minister on why repairs to defective homes in Donegal are taking so long. He described badly laid foundations and failures in regulation as the root problem and demanded prompt action.
Healy-Rae accused regulators of being absent or ineffective, saying that those paid to oversee building standards are not being held to account. He insisted the government must address regulatory lapses that allow defective homes to be occupied.
He emphasised the personal cost for families, calling building a home the biggest venture a young couple can undertake and warning of the worry and danger when homes are 'falling asunder.' He welcomed Donegal residents present and stressed the priority of resolving their housing defects.
Healy-Rae proposed a simple, fast fix: dig out compromised foundations, replace concrete and add steel reinforcement, suggesting it could be done within days rather than months of delay. He urged the Minister to move beyond debate and order decisive repairs.
The speech frames the issue as both a local emergency for Donegal homeowners and a test of ministerial will and regulatory oversight. Healy-Rae called for the Minister to visit the affected areas and end repeated returns to the same issue in the chamber.
Summary of the speech
Danny Healy-Rae backed Charles Ward's motion, pressing the Minister on why repairs to defective homes in Donegal are taking so long. He described badly laid foundations and failures in regulation as the root problem and demanded prompt action.
Regulators and responsibility
Healy-Rae accused regulators of being absent or ineffective, saying that those paid to oversee building standards are not being held to account. He insisted the government must address regulatory lapses that allow defective homes to be occupied.
Human and social impact
He emphasised the personal cost for families, calling building a home the biggest venture a young couple can undertake and warning of the worry and danger when homes are 'falling asunder.' He welcomed Donegal residents present and stressed the priority of resolving their housing defects.
Practical remedy proposed
Healy-Rae proposed a simple, fast fix: dig out compromised foundations, replace concrete and add steel reinforcement, suggesting it could be done within days rather than months of delay. He urged the Minister to move beyond debate and order decisive repairs.
Political consequence
The speech frames the issue as both a local emergency for Donegal homeowners and a test of ministerial will and regulatory oversight. Healy-Rae called for the Minister to visit the affected areas and end repeated returns to the same issue in the chamber.
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Transcript
Thank you very much Cathaoirleach, I'm glad to say a few words on behalf of Charles Ward to support his motion and indeed he has raised it many times here in sight before since he got addicted and indeed others have done and that's what I can't understand Minister, how is this taking so long to resolve and I mean talk about quibbling about the foundation, it's already worked to put in the foundation and often it was doing much quicker than that if the concrete came if it was organised in time and proper concrete and you see something must have been lacking with government regulations or if there was a regulator and like all the regulators maybe even to be seen, maybe one to be seen at all because any regulator we are depending on here in sight there's no account to him he's either asleep or gone missing because they're being paid for doing nothing, absolutely nothing, any of the regulators that we have and building a home is the biggest venture that a young couple can ever put themselves through, would ever put themselves through and the cost of it and the worry of it to get it up and then to find that is that they're falling asunder like they are, this is terrible Minister and the faster that is remedied and look I welcome the people from Donegal here today and I know that they have plenty other things to do but this is a priority for them to ensure that the people with their homes, the defective homes in Donegal are sorted out and we never thought when Bridie Gallagher sung a song about the homes of Donegal that we never envisaged that this would be happening to the homes after she sung that song that so many people would like to listen to and look Minister I'm asking don't be putting the people through having to come in here again, look if you're down to the foundations and that's all at stake just dig them out, ten days' work to dig them out and add the concrete and a few steel bars to build them up again and they'll go off in a couple of days and we can start afresh and we can be sure that you have to have a good foundation to start out from, there's no point in taking chances or chancing that kind of a story and saving that amount of money, there's more time spent talking here inside about it than ever lot of them fixed and look the people are so worried, they have children and they're wondering what's going to be the finish of all this, some yes some of them are doing but there's a lot more to be done Minister and I'm asking for God's sake will you come out and sort it out for once and for all and not to be, it's no bother to me to support the people of Donegal but we shouldn't be having to have to do this day after day. you