‘Government has placed spin and secrecy ahead of families living in unsafe homes’

Deputy Charles Ward has described the Government’s decision to publish the Defective Concrete Blocks Amendment Bill just eight hours before the Second Stage debate as "deliberate and disgraceful", adding that the Government has once again placed "spin and secrecy ahead of families living in unsafe homes."

Ward said he and his team monitored through the night for publication and contacted Minister Mary Butler"s office at 9:30am this morning, Tuesday, before the Bill was finally released at 10am. Even the Oireachtas Library and Research Service confirmed they could not analyse the Bill because it was published too late. Deputy Ward said this was not an oversight: "This Government did not want TDs reading this Bill. If we had time to read it, we would have time to expose just how weak it is."

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The Government’s explanation that drafting amendments took longer than expected was described by Ward as "completely unbelievable". He pointed out that the Minister announced this Bill six months ago.

The Donegal Deputy said: "Families were given eight hours. That is not democracy. That is avoidance. That is evasion. And it is insulting to every person living in a crumbling home."

The Bill contains no provisions for side-by-side rebuilding or a fair process for semi-detached homes where only one house meets the threshold. Yet today, the Minister issued a press statement saying these issues are now being “considered.” These are issues that were not in the drafts, not in the consultations and not in the Government"s position until they were repeatedly raised in the chamber in recent months.

 Ward stated: "Families should take heart from the fact that the concerns they have fought to have heard are finally being spoken aloud by the Government. These small movements did not appear from nowhere. They came from pressure applied day after day by campaigners and carried directly into the Dáil. People deserve to know that when they fight, things shift."

But Ward warned that these hints of progress are minor and far from guaranteed. "We have seen press statements before. What matters is law, not headlines. Homeowners cannot live on promises. They need protections written in black and white" he said.

The 100% Redress TD said the Government"s handling of this legislation has been "shambolic" from the start. The draft Bill was sent to the Housing Committee late on a Friday evening. Members were given almost no notice for the meeting that followed on Monday. TDs were forced to attend online and vote by email. "This was not scrutiny. This was manipulation. It was designed to choke off debate and railroad the Bill through with as little challenge as possible", he said.

Deputy Ward said the Bill still contains fundamental and dangerous failings. "Let us be clear. There is still no functioning appeal system. No independent science. No alternative accommodation. No upfront payments. No pyrite style end to end model. No trauma supports. No recognition for the 43 families abandoned in Donegal. No transparency. No accountability. And several sections are drafted so loosely they could be twisted against families rather than for them. These are not accidental gaps. These are choices", he said.

Drawing on his Dáil speech, Ward said: "You cannot fix a national disaster with rushed paperwork and last minute drops. You cannot ask people to raise children in houses where every gust of wind makes them wonder if the wall will come down. Families cannot rebuild their lives when the State keeps them in limbo."

He added: "Applications are not progress. They are evidence of crisis. People do not apply for this scheme because it is working. They apply because their homes are unsafe and they are terrified."

Deputy Ward also reiterated his criticism of partial remediation: "Partial remediation is unsafe. It is scientifically wrong. It costs more in the long run. It is not redress. It is a political cover up. The State knows this and continues anyway."

Ward said the anger in affected communities is real and justified: "People feel ignored. They feel abandoned. They feel disrespected. I carry that anger into the chamber because it is my own reality too. Families deserve a safe home. They deserve truth. And they deserve justice."

But he offered a message of resolve and hope: "Tonight proved something important. When people stand their ground, when they refuse to be silenced, things begin to move. Small cracks appear in the Government wall. That is how progress starts. It is slow. It is tiring. But it happens."

He concluded: "This Bill does not yet deliver justice. It does not fix the scheme. But this fight is far from over. And I will keep pushing, keep challenging and keep driving this Government toward the truth until every family has the safety and certainty they deserve."