Defective Concrete Blocks Social Homes Scheme 2026: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-30 ============================================================ Mark Duffy (FG), Labour Panel I thank the Minister of State for being here this afternoon. I welcome his uncle Martin and his father, Christy, who are here as well. I also acknowledge Deputy Charles Ward, who has done a lot of work, as has been mentioned, in this space. Being from County Mayo, I know first-hand the scourge that has been the defective concrete blocks issue. We call it pyrite in our area and it is mica in Donegal, and other areas are affected by it. Senator Boyhan very well encapsulated the messaging on it. It is someone's home. It is not a house; it is a home. I have witnessed first-hand, having met with families, the stress and pressure they have always been under throughout this process, every evening coming home from work looking at cracks on the wall getting bigger and hearing gable walls move while they have children in the house. It is just unimaginable. I stood alongside them many times protesting both here in Dublin and at home in Mayo to advocate for better reforms and better supports of the system. This afternoon is another step in the right direction. It should not matter whether it is a social home or a private home. People deserve adequate housing, a roof over their head and adequate conditions, whether they are elderly and retiring or a young family. They all require a proper and acceptable standard of living and dignity. It has been an unimaginable time. Insurers ran a mile from this issue and lots of people who were unregulated ran from responsibility. The Government has stepped in in unprecedented form, albeit at times not to the speed that any of us would have liked. It is responding in a way that is slowly but surely dealing with an unprecedented challenge that has affected so many people. The measures being brought forward today are very welcome. I have seen hundreds of homeowners whom I have worked with and tried to help along the way go through the whole process. To walk or drive through different housing estates - in Ballina, for example - and see brand-new houses being built and people now getting on with their lives and being able to put this in the rear-view mirror is very welcome. I also deal with people who are in social homes, who are negatively impacted by defective concrete blocks and who, equally, are looking for remediation and supports through the local authority. This measure will allow for that, thankfully. I would welcome, as Senator Flaherty and others mentioned, the resourcing of local authorities to deal with schemes swiftly in order to keep things moving along at an expedited pace, with engagement with contractors to make sure that there are common-sense solutions on the ground and that the response is at speed and at scale. I know Donegal is a particularly badly affected area. I acknowledge all the public representatives there, past and present, who have worked with local communities, who are the ones suffering at the end of the day. It is our job as representatives to try to respond to that as much as possible. There have been a lot of difficult days for representatives and families, but I know from seeing families come through the other side that there is a lot of hope and positivity that they have a new forever home that is state of the art and that, please God, will be there long into the future to keep a roof over their head and protect themselves and their family. I welcome and fully support this motion. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-30/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-30