Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)

I raise a matter that has been, politically, incredibly pressing over the past number of years in counties Mayo, Donegal and Sligo. That is the issue of defective concrete blocks. In my home county of Mayo hundreds of homeowners are affected. It has been the scourge of their lives and has brought financial and mental health challenges to every homeowner who has been negatively impacted by it. There is a commitment in the programme for Government for a review of the scheme. I ask that we bring the Minister for the housing in to provide an update on how he plans to move forward with this review.As matters stand, improved supports have been provided. The system needs to be much more flexible to suit the needs of each individual homeowner, however, because every situation is different. Boundary walls could be affected or work on a semi-detached house might not be able to proceed because of an issue with the neighbouring home. Myriad issues need to be addressed. We need to put the homeowner at the centre of this and work back from there. I ask that we engage and deal with this matter head on and deliver for all these affected homeowners and communities who have been devastated by the scourge of pyrite and mica in defective concrete blocks.