Deputy Cowen commented: "There has been far too much foot-dragging on this issue, particularly over the past year, and it will come as a relief now to the thousands families affected that there is finally some resolution in sight.
"There are a number of questions still outstanding. For instance, will there be a time limit to this resolution process? There are many homes now which do not yet show visible signs of pyrite damage. Will these homeowners have access to the resolution process in years to come? Will there be a testing mechanism to establish which developments are affected by pyrite?
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"For some time now I have been calling on the Minister to go further than the recommendations of the Pyrite Report and to ensure that all of those culpable contribute to the cost of repairing the damaged homes. I very much welcome the fact that the Minister has now agreed to establish a Resolution Board and has given the stakeholders 10 days to respond.
"I intend to hold the Minister to this deadline. The damage, disappointment and financial pressure suffered by innocent homeowners who purchased their homes in good faith only to see them gradually collapse in front of their eyes must be confronted by the government. Those thousands of ordinary families whose homes are now ruined by pyrite need to know that everything is being done to put this right.
"The Minister has my full support in establishing the Resolution Board and implementing all of the recommendations of the Pyrite Report. This is a first and essential step towards justice for these homeowners – but it cannot stop here. We need more detail about the resolution process. I am also repeating my call for the establishment of a Planning Regulator to ensure that the lack of oversight that we saw for years in Dublin City Council and elsewhere will not be allowed to happen again."
(CD)
