Rose Conway-Walsh Slams 29 March Cut-off in Home Repair Legislation
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised new remediation legislation for imposing an arbitrary 29th March cut-off that would exclude homeowners from a repair scheme, and demanded retrospective payments, faster test results and immediate changes. She warned the cut-off and funding gaps risk leaving families and social housing in Mayo without necessary repairs.
Cut-off date and legislative delay
Rose Conway-Walsh said she has waited since March for legislation that could have been enacted months earlier and called the 29th of March an arbitrary cut-off. She accused ministers and officials of breaking promises that nobody would be disadvantaged and said amendments will be tabled before committee stage next week.
Retrospective payments and financial shortfalls
The deputy pressed for retrospective payments for people who built homes before the scheme began and highlighted specific gaps in entitlement, citing a case in Westport with a €50,000 shortfall. She said families were reassured the scheme would cover them and now face exclusion and unbearable costs.
Testing delays and building defects
She raised alarm at eight to nine month waits for test results for suspected pyrite and defective blocks, saying the delays prevent urgent repairs and leave houses falling down. Conway-Walsh stressed that timely testing is essential for homeowners to progress with remedial work.
Social housing, quarry inspections and alternative accommodation
The deputy asked why social houses with leaking roofs, pests and structural problems are not covered and called for appointment of a geologist to verify quarry aggregates and inspection regimes. She noted an alternative suitable accommodation proposal presented by Peer Stoherty was refused by the new finance minister and insisted changes must be made before the next sitting or ministers must explain the position to Mayo residents.
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I cannot believe reading this legislation. I have waited, every week I have waited, waited for this legislation since March. It could have been done in April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and here we are in December. And this is what you give us. This is what you give us. Now, are you going to take all the calls from the people in Mayo tonight when they look at this legislation? When they see that the 29th of March is an arbitrary cut-off date. You cannot do this. Now, we will obviously be putting amendments into this and obviously be putting amendments to that. Minister after minister and official after official swore that nobody would be disadvantaged by the point that they went into this scheme. Now, this turns out to be blatantly false. I have been reassuring homeowners. You have to remember, you talk about cohorts here. I have been reassuring families. No, the legislation will come. The legislation will come. You could have done this legislation as an inconsequential amendment in the Emergency Planning Bill. I told you. I told Simon Harris in this chamber. So, I have been telling them, don't worry. Nobody will be left behind. Nobody will be left behind here. And now you come and you say the 29th of March is cut-off date. Minister. And I speak to the officials as well. For heaven's sake, will you please correct that. But I'm very conscious that this isn't going to come for another week to committee stage. And that families tonight are going to be in the same excruciating torture that they have been in for months. So, you have to change. You just, it is wholly, wholly unacceptable. I don't know who thought it was acceptable. Or who thought it was acceptable to go back on your word. But it's certainly not acceptable to me. And it's not acceptable to homeowners in Mayo. I want to talk to you about retrospective payments. Time and time again, I've asked you for houses that where people had to build their homes before the scheme came in, that they would be covered. They have to be covered. I take the, like the gaps that are in here. The gaps that people are trying to deal with. You've parked Nikkila in Westport, just for instance. 50,000 of a gap. How in the name of God do you expect people to find 50,000? How? They cannot find it. It's just not there. And now I have to go back and tell some of them tonight, well actually, you're not included in this. He has excluded you. Jesus, like, I just don't know what to say to you at this stage. You say you stand ready to provide financial help. Well, if this is what you stand ready to do, it is absolutely disgraceful. And I want to take another matter up with you. How does it take eight, nine months plus to get the results of tests that are done? I have people waiting since early this year to get the results back from their tests so that they could get on with their work. Can you give me an explanation before we leave the chamber here tonight as to why the tests take this long? Are you sending them to Mars? Eight, nine months to get the results of tests back. I can tell going into a house. I'm not an engineer. I can tell because I've been in so many houses that are falling down that somebody has pyrite. This is pyrite in May or defective blocks. And it takes eight or nine months to get the results of tests back. And where's the scheme for the social houses? You say, you're putting away money for a rainy day. Aren't we brilliant? Well, what about the social houses in Mayo and the other houses where the rain is coming in through the ceiling? The rain is coming in through the ceiling. The rats and the mice are coming through the gaps in the wall. Jesus, I just, you know, you say that you're listening. And it's so obvious that you're not hearing a word of what people are saying. And we keep giving you the solutions. And we keep telling you what needs to be done. And you're still refusing to listen. And I have to bring up with you the current inspection of the quarries. There's a need to appoint a geologist to make sure the aggregate coming out of the quarries is fit for purpose now. I am not confident that what is coming out and that your inspection regimes are good enough. And the people in Mayo, because they've been let down time and time again, don't have confidence in that either. Peer Stoherty presented here, you talk about alternative suitable accommodation. Peer Stoherty gave you a solution to it last week. Again, it was refused by the new finance minister. All singing, all dancing finance minister. Again, when a solution was presented to him, you turn your back. Minister, there needs to be changes here before next week. There has to be changes. Otherwise, you go down and you face the people in Mayo. And you tell them.
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