I raise a matter that is affecting thousands of families and homeowners in my county and County Mayo. It is a problem not of their own making and it concerns defective concrete blocks or the mica crisis. It has resulted in thousands of homeowners watching their houses crumble before their very eyes. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see. It is abundantly clear the redress scheme that was introduced in January last year is not fit for purpose as the difference between the grant payable and the cost of the works required is beyond the reach of so many families in my county, with some having to contribute up to €100,000 themselves. Indeed, we have seen a number of cases where the figure is substantially more. Many people are unable to even afford the initial assessment costs.

Those affected by the mica scandal are confronted with a redress scheme that does not meet or cannot achieve its aims and it must be reformed. The pyrite scheme in Dublin and north Leinster provided 100% costs-----

Thank you, Deputy.

-----in affected homes. Will the Government support the mica redress scheme providing the same level of redress?

Thank you, Deputy.

What action will the Government take to improve the scheme and resolve this matter for nearly 6,000 families across those two counties?

If we proceed like this, I will have to keep coming in and it is not good for any of us. Many colleagues will not get to contribute. One minute is the maximum.

I join in Deputy Doherty's concern for those households where people's homes have such a fundamental problem. I introduced a scheme in June last year. As I understand it, there are differences between what happened to properties on the east coast and what happened in the Donegal and Mayo areas. I do not have the details, but it appears to be a much more extensive problem, with higher costs and much greater difficulties. I have heard from other Deputies about this problem and I commit to talking to the Minister to see about a review of the current scheme and if it is not working and not solving the problem for householders, to go back to see what sort of revision needs to be put in place to make sure it meets the needs of the householders involved. This has happened through no fault of their own and not through their actions in any way. We do have to address the problems.