Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 December 2013
36. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to his statements, echoed by the manager of the Pyrite Resolution Board that Homebond's staff will be available for the pyrite remedial works scheme, the exact nature of Homebond's claimed expertise in assessing structural damage caused by pyrite-induced heave and in designing, monitoring and certifying subsequent remedial works [51812/13]
View answerResidents are gravely concerned about comments from the Minister and departmental officials indicating that HomeBond may be involved in the pyrite remediation process. They also dispute the Minister's claim that the company has particular expertise in the area of pyrite remediation. I ask him to substantiate that claim.
I have always made it clear that I believe the parties identified in the report of the independent pyrite panel as having a responsibility to provide solutions for affected homeowners should contribute to the resolution of the pyrite issue. In the past 18 months or thereabouts I have tried to bring about a resolution of the issue involving these parties. Unfortunately, this did not prove possible.
The Pyrite Resolution Board which I established earlier this year on an administrative basis remains in discussions with HomeBond to agree the contribution it can make to the implementation of the remediation process. These discussions are ongoing and the exact nature of HomeBond's role or contribution has not yet been agreed between the parties. Nevertheless, I expect HomeBond to make a contribution, notwithstanding that it is a private company.
As far as I am concerned, the greater the contribution, the better for the role that they played in the past in terms of not complying with fulfilling that role.
The board will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the pyrite remediation scheme and will be supported in this endeavour by the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency. I understand that panels for contractors and other professionals will be established by the housing agency. In fact, that process is underway. In addition, a register of competent persons, who have undertaken appropriate training, has been established by Engineers Ireland to undertake the building condition assessments.
It is not envisaged that the board will commission building condition assessments, either directly or via a third party such as HomeBond. Building condition assessments will be procured directly by affected homeowners although, under the proposed arrangements, they may claim reimbursement of costs, subject to a maximum of €500, should their application be accepted into the pyrite remediation scheme subsequently.
I share Deputy Clare Daly's annoyance about the contribution that HomeBond has made. It has not been satisfactory to date and we continue to do everything we possibly can, notwithstanding it is a private company, to extract as much as we possibly can out of it to help the distressed homeowners in this case.
It is almost a year since the late Minister of State, Deputy Shane McEntee, announced the scheme. A year on, the scheme has not yet accepted live applications. Now that Engineers Ireland has established the register of competent persons and the training has been done, will building condition assessments, which in many instances residents have paid for, be accepted and will those files and applications be able to go live in advance of Christmas? It would be important that we get some indication of when those applications can go live.
Is it still the Minister's intention to bring forward the legislation to empower the pyrite resolution board to take funds or whatever? Does that legislation have to be in place first? Will we see it this side of Christmas?
The problem with HomeBond is that this was not a structural guarantee scheme even though it gave that impression. HomeBond still has €25 million in its accounts which it will not access for normal purposes because now it is a properly structured scheme. HomeBond's contribution should be in funds. Those funds should be taken off HomeBond because it has not the competent expertise in this area. It is the one that went out and examined houses and told the residents that they did not have pyrite and there was nothing to worry about, and then, when it emerged that they did have pyrite, stated that had nothing to do with it. The idea of HomeBond being involved in the remediation process is not acceptable.
The Minister announced that he was putting a certain amount of funding towards the resolution of pyrite in houses, but there are over 800 houses urgently in need and time is pressing. The timescale seems to be getting ever longer. Can the Minister give some indication of when he will have this scheme up and running?
As Deputies Clare Daly and Ellis will be aware, the State has no responsibility whatsoever in this.
I do not accept that at all.
That is the legal position. I know Deputy Clare Daly does not have to accept it.
Notwithstanding that, like Priory Hall, I have made a considerable effort to resolve this issue. I acknowledge the significant work of our late good friend, Shane McEntee, the first anniversary of whose untimely death is approaching. Because of that, I would be looking for the co-operation of all groups in the House between now and Christmas to put through the legislation to establish the pyrite resolution board which I will be putting to Government on Tuesday next.
Could we go back to Question No. 37 in the name of Deputy Cowen as the Deputy is now present? It was taken with Question No. 7.
These questions are in the names of Deputy Cowen and Deputy Ellis. Earlier this year, my colleague, the Minister of State for housing and planning, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, published the Government's homelessness policy statement in which the Government's aim to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016 was outlined.
I indicated already, on Question No. 7, much of the response of the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to these matters. The funding for homelessness in 2014 will be the same as the funding for 2013. She is conscious of the need to advance new arrangements, particularly with the over concentration of homeless services in certain centres. It is an issue where there has been a major increase in the number of those who are rough sleeping.
With the help of Dublin City Council and the social investment funds announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, we are identifying properties. With those, together with NAMA units that have been identified, I hope that in 2014 we will be able to make substantial progress on the numbers of persons who are classified as homeless. The numbers, at the end of September 2013, have reduced from those of the end of 2012, but nevertheless it is a most important issue on which we want to see even further progress made in 2014.
I ask the Minister to convey to the Minister of State with responsibility in this area that I advise caution on any commitments that will emanate from NAMA considering that 18 months ago Deputy Hogan told the House he expected up to 2,000 units would be made available from NAMA between then and now to address this issue of homeless, and those have not materialised. The Government should not place all its eggs in that basket again.
I ask for a review of the funding. When the Minister states the funding is to be retained next year at the level made available this year towards this sector, it is important that we analyse how that funding was spent and the amount of it made available to pay providers of emergency accommodation to ascertain whether there is value for money in that provision while there have not been specific targeted schemes to address the issue. There should be some pilot programmes brought to bear to see whether we can tackle this issue in a more meaningful way than has been done in the past. Grateful and all as we are, throwing money at the problem for the sake of it and funding those who provide emergency accommodation is not a solution that will bear fruit in the longer term.
Quite apart from that, my main point is to caution against a feeling that one always has the safety net of NAMA properties. As I stated, the Minister was proven wrong in that regard when a similar commitment was made of a more outlandish figure 18 months ago and it has not borne any fruit. Perhaps the House could be informed of a new approach that might bear better fruit than has been the case heretofore.
NAMA properties generally that were put forward were not only for the homeless but for all social housing provision. There have been a number of difficulties, not only with the financial allocations but also with the number of legal issues in relation to some of these estates.
I agree with Deputy Cowen that it is not an matter of throwing money at the problem. There is far too much being spent on emergency accommodation and that is why we have a policy. The housing-led approach is the policy. It is better for the client. Independent living accommodation with a social care plan is the way we want to address some of these issues. I can assure Deputy Cowen that the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is looking at it in that context to provide a dispersed amount of accommodation, in particular in the Dublin regional area, to alleviate the current expensive solutions through emergency accommodation, particularly on the north side of Dublin.
