I wish to again raise with the Taoiseach the plight of the many home owners whose homes were built using defective concrete blocks. There are several thousand such home owners in County Donegal. The blocks are defective as a result of a mineral, mica, being present in them. As the Taoiseach knows, an expert panel was established to consider the issue and it reported to the Government. I have raised the issue with the Taoiseach and the Minister of State, Deputy English, in the House. The Minister of State committed to home owners that he would revisit County Donegal before Christmas to update them on progress and to specifically report back on social housing options for many of those worst affected whose homes have become unsafe to live in. I also asked the Taoiseach when the report would be discussed at Cabinet and he committed that would be done before Christmas. Has it been discussed? Has a decision been made by the Government to deliver a compensation scheme for the affected home owners and, if not, how many Cabinet meetings remain to take place before Christmas? I ask the Taoiseach to ensure the commitment is met and that affected home owners do not see more broken commitments in terms of the Government handling of the issue.

The Minister of State, Deputy English, committed to the report being completed by the end of the year and that will be done. It will be brought to Cabinet early in the new year. Senator Michelle Mulherin, Deputy Joe McHugh and several other colleagues have raised the issue with me and with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. The Minister of State, Deputy English, has met affected residents and home owners. The report will outline the potential issues involved and the options for response. The Government has responded to similar issues in the past, such as the measures put in place to deal with homes affected by pyrite.