Tá an scannal mica go fóill ag tarlú agus teaghlaigh agus úinéir tí ag fanacht le scéal. Thug an Rialtas gealltanas dóibh i mí an Mheithimh go mbeidh cúiteamh 100% le fáil acu. Táimid i lár mhí Mheán Fómhair agus níl soiléiriú ar bith faighte acu. On 15 June, thousands of homeowners and families affected by the mica and pyrites scandal travelled to Leinster House and Government Buildings. They sent out a clear message that they will not be forgotten. On the same day, this House passed a motion brought by Sinn Féin on behalf of those families and homeowners. The motion noted the existence of the existing scheme that was unfit for purpose and called on the Government to introduce a 100% redress scheme for those affected by defective blocks. It also called on the Government to ensure those responsible are held to account and that the industry should contribute to the overall cost of remediation. The motion was unanimously agreed to by this House. In response, the Minister with responsibility for housing set up a working group to review and address the issues with the existing failed scheme. That working group was given a six-week deadline to report by the end of July. That deadline came and went, with the Minister giving the working group an extension until the end of this month.

Since that motion passed, the impact of the mica and pyrites scandal has continued to exact a heavy toll on families. Over the summer, several families have watched as their homes have been demolished. One of those, the Price family in Inishowen, saw their home reduced to rubble by a digger. The home of Donna and Mike, and her three children, aged 19, 13 and 9 years, is no longer standing. Others continue to live in the conditions that put them and their children at risk with walls and ceiling crumbling around them. Many of them have shared their lived experience of how this scandal has not only damaged the bricks and mortar of their homes, but has also placed a heavy toll on their mental health and relationships. They cannot be allowed to wait any longer. They are victims of self-regulation, no-regulation and light-touch regulation regimes. They are like the thousands of families and homeowners who live or lived with dangerous fire safety or structural defects. Regimes created by successive Governments are more interested in the wishes of developers than the safety of homeowners and tenants.

The existing defective block redress scheme is not fit for purpose; that is clear. In some cases, the remaining costs are more than €100,000, which is the equivalent of a second mortgage for many families. Affected homeowners, their families and children in Donegal and Mayo and other counties deserve equality with the scheme that was rolled out prior to this one for homes affected by pyrites in Dublin and north Leinster. That is not just the will of the families. That is the will of this House as per the motion that was passed on this issue on 15 June, three months ago.

Will the Tánaiste work with the representatives of the families from The Mica Action Group to deliver 100% redress? Will he tell us if he is personally committed to 100% redress? The Tánaiste will recall in 2008, he travelled to Donegal and had the opportunity to meet with the action group and see the impact on homes. At that time, he told affected families, rightly, that they deserved equality with the pyrite scheme. He said that is fair. Three years on, they do not have equality. Three years on, families like Donna's see diggers rip into their homes where their dreams and memories of raising their children and family are torn into rubble. Will the Tánaiste commit to those words today? Will he lift the burden off so many families? Will he commit to establishing 100% redress for homeowners and families in Donegal, Mayo and other counties who are seeing their homes crumble before their eyes?

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of mica in the Chamber today. It is an issue of real importance not just in Donegal, but in Mayo and other counties around Ireland. As the Deputy said, I have been in those homes and met with some of the people involved. Not only have I seen it with my own eyes, but I have felt it in my fingers when I touched those walls. One can see how easily they can break and crumble. I know the devastation it has caused people. I know how much personality, life and love people put into their homes. To see them fall apart, damaged and demolished must be heartbreaking.

The Government is committed to finding a solution to this. It has gone on for too long; the Deputy is correct in that. We came up with a solution we thought would work, which was the 90% scheme agreed by the last Government. For various reasons, the 90% did not turn out to be 90% because of other costs, including rent when people move out of their houses, engineering reports and such matters. I agree that we need to bring forward an enhanced scheme, a better scheme, than the one we put together under the last Government to deal with this issue. We are committed to doing that. I am told, so far, 513 homeowners have applied under the scheme for stage 1 and 382 have been approved. Some 37 have been subsequently approved for stage 2.

In response to the concerns expressed by homeowners culminating in the protest in July, a time-bound working group was established to consider all issues raised. The first meeting was on Wednesday 30 June, when the terms of reference were agreed to. The purpose of this group is to review and address any outstanding issues in relation to the operation of the scheme, including, grant caps, homeowner contributions, engineering and allowable costs. Meetings were held weekly until the end of July and the fifth full meeting took place on 27 July. At the request of the homeowner representatives, it was agreed to extend the timeframe of the working group from the end of July to the end of September, which is now approaching. While the working group did not officially meet during August, homeowner representatives continued to meet with the Department Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Housing Agency on particular items. The group is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department, and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, attended the first meeting. Unfortunately, Mayo homeowners have withdrawn from the working group but continue to liaise with the Donegal representatives who are still on the group. Efforts are ongoing to have the Mayo action group nominate new representatives.

The Department has also received requests from other counties to be included in the scheme. In those cases, the local authority has been charged with providing a list of defects being complained of, such as excessive mica or pyrite, and relate to the quantum. Counties include Sligo, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. It is fair to say this issue has broadened to beyond Donegal and Mayo and includes many other parts of the country. A submission from Clare County Council has been received. That arrived in the Department at the end of July and is being reviewed.

The membership of the working group initially comprised of three homeowners from Donegal, who were nominated by the Donegal mica group; three homeowners from Mayo, from the Mayo and north Mayo pyrite groups; three officials from the Department Housing, Local Government and Heritage; one official from Donegal County Council; and an official from Mayo County Council. The Government's position is that we will provide whatever support we can to facilitate the working group to report back with its recommendation to the Minster with responsibility for housing by the end of this month. The Government will consider the recommendations from the working group following cross-Government input, in particular from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Attorney General's office. Dialogue continues with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland with regard to grants for energy upgrades. In addition, an exemption of the local property tax has been granted for homes impacted by defective concrete blocks. Section 18 of the finance Act provides that relief for six years.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste for his response. I listened closely to what he said about finding a solution and an enhanced scheme. Allow me to speak about the commitment he made to those families and the working group in 2018. The Tánaiste said there should be parity with the pyrite scheme. That is what is fair and that is 100% redress. In June, the Tánaiste voted in this House in favour of 100% redress. I know nothing is simple. I know i's need to be dotted and t's need to be crossed and the details needs to put down on paper. However, there are countless families suffering with mental health pressures and anxiety, who do not know what the future holds for them and their families. That burden can be lifted off them today by the Tánaiste recommitting that the Government will provide 100% redress to these families, by giving voice to the motion that was passed in this House on 15 June, and by re-articulating the commitment he gave to the families when he was Taoiseach. Beyond trying to find a solution and an enhanced scheme, which could mean many things, will the Tánaiste commit to these families that there will be 100% redress?

The current scheme was agreed in collaboration with local action groups, local authorities and homeowner representatives. The decision to go with a grant scheme as opposed to the type of scheme provided under the Pyrite Resolution Board was done with the intention to give homeowners the flexibility to manage their own projects and to allow them to deal directly with their appointed contractor.

The defective concrete blocks scheme is intended to put homeowners in the position they would have been in regard to their home had it not been for the defective concrete blocks. It was not the intention of the scheme that it would fully cover the cost of a new-build home to 2021 building standards, with all new house components funded by the Exchequer. Grant schemes generally seek a recipient contribution so as to control costs, incentivise the use of appropriate remediation options and promote the reuse of materials where that is feasible. We accept that we need a significantly enhanced scheme. That is being developed at the moment and I cannot make any definitive commitments on that at present. That will be a matter for Government to decide before the end of the month, but I know the Minister is committed to working with the homeowners to find a resolution to this problem. I accept that this resolution is long overdue.