As the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is aware, thousands of families from the west of Ireland have had their lives torn asunder by the mica and pyrite scandal. Their homes are crumbling around them. This is a national disaster. It is an earthquake happening in slow motion. The trail of devastation winds its way through communities that share the sorrow and anger of their families, friends and neighbours. These communities range from my own in north County Donegal, down through counties Sligo, Mayo and on to Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. On Friday, the families and their supporters will again descend on Dublin to protest to get the Government to deliver 100% redress. They should not have to do this.

On June 15, the very day the families last protested in Dublin, this Dáil unanimously passed a motion instructing the Government to provide 100% redress. Four months ago, these families should have seen their nightmare finally brought to an end. It is a nightmare that has taken a heavy financial toll on them. There has been financial ruin, emotional breakdown and a real sense of abandonment by the State. Here we are in October, and the families are left with no other option but to again travel to the capital and shout as loudly as possible for the Government to hear them. Full 100% redress is the only just solution. It must cover the cost of demolition and rebuilding because that is the reality facing so many of our families. Their homes must be demolished because the blocks used in their construction are crumbling like Weetabix biscuits. In many cases, only demolition and rebuilding will ensure a safe home in many cases. The Government cannot walk away from this truth. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Deputies in the six affected counties see that truth. They all support 100% redress. Has the Minister spoken to them all? Have they told him what they have witnessed? Have they explained the condition of these houses and the misery of the families? If they have, and if he has listened, there is no way the full cost of demolition and rebuilding will be left out of redress. Last July, in a deeply moving video, The Irish Times interviewed five County Donegal families whose homes are crumbling. I wish to read the words of Sally Ruddy, taken from that video, to the Minister. Sally said:

You think heartbreak. You think that it is something with a starting point and a finishing point. But this just drags on for years and years. There is no end and there is no end in sight ...

The Minister has it in his power to bring an end to the families' agony. He can tell them they do not need to come to Dublin as they will have 100% redress. He may not have all the details but surely he can give them that assurance. The families are not going away. They have risen above the trauma and have found their strength, and it is powerful. They have won the hearts and minds of the people because the people know what is right. Do not force them to come to Dublin again this Friday. Do the right thing. End their agony. Tell them they will have 100% redress.

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue, which I am acutely aware of and in respect of which I have been heavily engaged. Last year, one of the first trips I took as Minister was to County Donegal. The Deputy was in attendance and we met residents in Buncrana. I went to visit homeowners at the time. I have been to visit homeowners in County Clare. This is a scheme I inherited. It was put in place in January or February 2020 and the Government and I have committed to improving it.

I genuinely thank the homeowners and their representatives for their serious engagement and the time and effort they have given voluntarily to the working group process I established following the protests in the summer.

They have engaged honestly although it has been difficult. My officials have engaged and I have also brought in the Housing Agency which will play a very important role in this. We are committed to enhancing the scheme and have made progress already. I assure Deputy Mac Lochlainn that I am not going to delay on it. I acknowledge the input to the process of my colleagues in government, both Deputies and Senators, and of Deputy Mac Lochlainn's party colleagues.

It is an absolute tragedy that people's homes are crumbling and we want to help to resolve that. When I met the group on 29 September, the day before the working group report was published, I said very clearly that the scheme that the previous Government instituted had not worked as intended, although many people gave that scheme a guarded welcome at the time. I said in Buncrana in August 2020 that all schemes evolve and change and I was committed to making sure that this happens. We have some work to do and are doing it right now. The working group report was published and I circulated it to Opposition spokespeople seeking their input. The next step is to work through options and bring proposals to the three party leaders and my Cabinet colleagues. The Government will make a decision in due course.

I respect the right of people to protest and have always done so. I gave an indicative timeline to the residents when I met them on 29 September and told them that my work would not be concluded by 8 October. In fairness, they realised and accepted that and we had a good and open discussion on it. I advise the House that we have made progress in some very significant areas already and it is important that this is recognised. Progress has been made on the issues of certification, people having recourse back to a scheme should work be done, planning exemptions and upfront costs.

Very significant changes have been proposed already and I have said that nothing, including the caps or 100% redress, is off the table. I need a Government decision on that. I will be bringing option papers to the Government in the coming days and then the Cabinet will make a decision. I will continue to engage with representatives from the affected counties on defective blocks. I have visited other counties which are also making submissions to my Department. Whatever changes we make are going to require underpinning by way of legislation because we cannot just keep changing this by way of regulation.

This is a very serious issue for thousands of families. I have met them and Deputy Mac Lochlainn represents them. I fully understand the stress and trauma they continue to go through. One of the first things I did when I became Minister was to visit Donegal to discuss the previous scheme with the residents. We are close to bringing forward significant enhancements which I have to work through. Obviously, the House, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, his party and others, including my Government colleagues, will be advised on that in the coming weeks.

At the core of this is the principle that every citizen and family in this State is treated exactly the same. The Minister is very familiar with the pyrite resolution scheme under which over 2,000 families in Dublin and north Leinster rightly received 100% redress. They did nothing wrong but were failed by the absence of State regulation and oversight. Our families in Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary deserve exactly the same, namely, 100% redress. The Government must send out a clear message that all of our families, no matter where they live, did nothing wrong, were profoundly failed by this State and will be treated exactly the same and that the State will learn lessons from all of this. We will learn lessons and make sure that our laws are updated and this never happens again. The families will protest on Friday and I hope to God it is the last time they have to come to this city to protest and that they get the justice they deserve. I appeal to the Minister again for 100% redress for all of our citizens, no matter where they live.

Tuigim an fhadhb. I intend to bring a memorandum to Government in the coming weeks. That memorandum will be underpinned by three core principles, namely, that the enhancements and changes we make are timely, reasonable and consistent. As a republican, I believe in equality and there is absolutely no question of that. I have had experience in my constituency of defective work involving pyrite and in-fill as well as other defects.

It is also important to mention that I have established a working group on apartment defects and fire safety defects, which are a serious problem. As Minister, I made a commitment to improve this scheme and I intend to bring enhancements forward. I look forward to any genuine input from other parties on that and will consider it as part of the overall submission that I bring to Cabinet in the coming weeks. I also hope that 8 October will be the last time the residents from affected counties feel the need to come to Dublin to protest. I welcomed them in the summer and have met them since then. I fully understand what they are going through and intend to improve the situation greatly for them.