Defective Building Materials
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-18
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Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal

BPFI has been engaging for nearly two years now and it has done a huge amount. These are very serious people.
The Minister mentioned the childcare facilities that I have raised with him. There are three childcare facilities that are community run. The Minister has been talking about State-run childcare facilities and all the rest but the three community childcare facilities in question – in Letterkenny, Raphoe and Ardara – are in buildings that are falling down. The one in Raphoe is already gone because the children are not safe in the building. With regard to the other two cases, it is just ticking away. There is no scheme to replace those facilities. Kids and parents depend on them. There are 12 schools in Donegal with buildings that are going to fall down. There are cracks and you can put your hand through some of them. There is no scheme at present, although the Department is going to inspect the buildings.
Over 80 council houses in Donegal that should have families in them this Christmas are lying empty because they have defective blocks. There is no scheme to fix them. There are people going through the scheme but these are the people who have had to find €80,000, €90,000 or €100,000, and in some cases more. There are so many others who simply cannot do this. What does the Minister think is going to happen to them? He might know them. People of pension age have only their pensions. They do not have €70,000 or €80,000 to make up the shortfall. No matter what grant the Government provides, they cannot rebuild their homes under this scheme.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-18