Last Friday night, I attended a public meeting of the Clare Pyrite Action Group. One attendee told me that they will be dead before the opening of the enhanced scheme. Others spoke of suffering heart attacks, strokes and many other serious health issues because of the extreme stress and frustration of delay after delay. A frequently asked questions, FAQ, document was issued last October by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. What exactly is the hold-up here? Clare County Council has assured me that it is ready to go, so it seems the knot in the rope here is in the Department. Every day the Minister delays this process is a day that the stress on these people worsens. For the sake of the health of the members of the Clare Pyrite Action Group and all affected, will the Taoiseach now commit to having the applications open by the end of this month at the latest? These people need a definitive answer and no more moving of the goalposts.

I will have to check with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and come back to the Deputy. I know the pyrite scheme has worked very well in other parts of the country, including Dublin and Meath. I am not sure exactly what the delay is in extending it to Clare or whether that is linked to the mica scheme. I am not sure and do not want to give the Deputy an answer that may be incorrect. I will ask the Minister to get back to the Deputy directly in the next few days.