Sinn Fein spokesperson Sean Crowe TD has called on the government to fast track the reform of building regulations and put in place a clear scheme to pay for repairs which will be needed to Pyrite affected homes into the future. He was speaking in response  a Dáil debate on the Report of the Pyrite Panel.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

If you do an internet search on pyrite you will see because of the mineral’s metallic luster and pale brass-yellow colour have earned it the nickname fools gold.

Many of the families who bought houses and appartments off developers and speculators who made millions and and millions were also treated as fools.

The authorities and the construction industry system is trying desperately to blame everyone but themselves, as they pass the buck and the blame.

Families cant live in their homes because they are not safe, they are being pursued by the same banks, who they as  taxpayers bailed out and the local authorities who were responsible for planning and regulation are using lenghty court procedures to absolve themselves of any responsability.

The  speculators and developers seem immunane to prosecutuion and are now reinventing themselves under different company names.

“There still remains no mandatory testing of quarries for pyrite potential.

So we needed no report to tell us that quarries should be testing for a substance which could cause a house’s foundations to expand and the damage that would to do to the entire structure.

“We  still have houses tearing apart from the inside because of failures to regulate the constrution industry and their greed and the pursuit of gold is still evident today in the proliferation of the black economy.

At no point on the chain of supply were any sufficient checks made to see if the material being used for the foundations of these houses and appartments were suitable.

“At no point did any regulation require those in the quarry, the concrete suppliers or the construction company doing the work, to ascertain the quality of their materials and that substances like pyrite were not present.

“: The state has failed thousands of families and has done nothing the  so far to resolve this crisis.

. We need legislative reform of inspections and building standards which will make these kinds of scandals much more rare and easily resolved.

“ People living in houses  and appartments which need serious repairs having bought the home in good faith need the State to stand and accept its responsability.