Pringle slams Government for ramming through defective blocks bill over pleas of homeowners

By Thomas Pringle
Updated: 5th July 2022

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, slammed Government for “bulldozing” defective blocks legislation through the Dáil despite pleas from homeowners in Donegal and across the country.

Addressing the Tánaiste in the Dáil today, Deputy Pringle said: “We’ve just seen the vote that allows your government’s belligerent planning of the week’s business, and when I cast a clinical eye over your legislative programme, I’m drawn to the incoherence at the heart of it. It’s casual and haphazard at best.

“At worst, it’s cynical and callous, and I believe this is more likely the deliberate intent,” he said. The deputy was speaking during Questions on Promised Legislation.

Deputy Pringle said: “So, despite the pleas given voice in here by the opposition from homeowners across the country, and especially vocal from my own constituency of Donegal, to allow more time for scrutiny and debate on the defective blocks bill, you are intent on bulldozing it through the House in two hours tomorrow.

“The affected homeowners of Donegal will be watching and evaluating the truthfulness of the promises made to them by you, the Taoiseach, by the Minister and various government TDs who have used their plight for photo-ops with the media over the past five years,” he said.

The deputy asked: “My question is simple, following passage of the defective block legislation, when is it envisaged that your ‘defective scheme’ will be open for applications?”

In his response, the Tánaiste said the intention was to have the legislation enacted by the end of next week, and they anticipate the scheme being open for applications well before the end of the year.

Commenting afterwards on the Tánaiste’s reply, Deputy Pringle said: “I don’t believe the timeline for opening of the scheme laid out by Leo Varadkar will happen. It makes a mockery of the rushing of the legislation.”

Earlier today, during the Dáil debate on order of business, Deputy Pringle said: “It is ridiculous that we’re here for months and we see this rush of legislation come through in the last week or two of the Dáil term, and particularly the mica legislation. The fact that it’s only given two hours for the discussion of amendments tomorrow – that’s just not right. It’s wrong.”

Deputy Pringle said: “The mica families have put so much effort into actually putting amendments through and trying to make this bill into a workable bill. That should be taken on board and should be shown some respect as well.”