Danny Healy-Rae demands 100% compensation for damaged homes
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about homeowners in Donegal, Mayo and other districts whose houses are falling down, urging the minister to secure 100% compensation to rebuild. He pressed for fewer planning obstacles, criticised mortgage and bank delays, and raised sewerage and zoning problems affecting rural self-builders.
Call for full compensation
Danny Healy-Rae said he had been contacted by many people, including friends from Donegal and Mayo, and urged the minister to ensure 100% compensation so those whose houses are failing can rebuild. He explicitly voiced support for Alan Dillon, Darren Caleary, Joe McHugh, Paddy McLaughlin and Charlie McConnelogue in representations for affected constituents.
Cross-border comparison and questions
He noted that the same materials supplied for homes in Donegal and Mayo were taken across the border to Derry without apparent problem and asked what has gone wrong in those Irish districts. He raised this discrepancy as a direct question to the minister about differing outcomes for residents.
Obstacles for self-builders
He called on the minister not to impose further obstacles on men and women trying to build their own homes, describing the practical difficulties self-builders face when working evenings and around other commitments. He warned against additional impediments that would impede people rebuilding or building for themselves.
Mortgage and bank-related delays
He criticised bank practices that issue mortgage approvals for just three months and require applicants to spend 80% of their savings, forcing many to reapply and incur further delay. He asked whether the minister has any influence over banks and urged common-sense changes so mortgages do not have to be obtained multiple times.
Planning guidelines, zoning and local infrastructure
He demanded to know where the planning guidelines promised for five or six years are and criticised rules on "urban generated pressure" that can allow one neighbour to build while another cannot. He referenced a motion by Mara Hillary in Kerry County Council questioning local authority practices, and warned of inadequate sewerage systems in towns and villages including Kinmere, Castle Island and Kilcumon, saying the issue of objectors must be addressed.
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I'm glad to get the opportunity to talk about a few important matters. Minister, I too have been contacted by many people, friends of mine even from Donegal and Mayo, to ask them, they have been asking me to ask you to ensure that you give 100% compensation to these people, that their houses are falling down around them. Many of these people don't know where they'll be next Christmas night, or where they'll be with their families, and I'm asking now, it's going on long enough, and I wish to support Alan Dillon and Darren Caleary, Joe McHugh, Paddy McLaughlin, and Charlie McConnelogue, I'm sure he has made representations as well. I want to add my voice in favour of the people, that they get 100% compensation to rebuild their houses. And the question that's being asked is, at the same time that the materials were provided for these houses, the same material from the same companies was taken across the border to Derry. And I'm told, and I'm far away from that district or from those places, I'm told that there's been no problem there in Derry across the border. The question is, what happened or what's gone wrong in Donegal or Mayo? And the other places as well, clear and different places that have many people suffering. Now, in regard to this bill, I'm asking not to put any more obstacles in front of the man or woman that's trying to build their own house, doing the work their self. After their own work, maybe in the evening, whatever it is, do not put any more obstacles, we'll say, that wouldn't help them or that would impede them from building their own house. There's another problem there, even when you get planning permission, the banks will give you a mortgage for just three months. And they'll tell you that you must have 80% of your own savings spent. And then it's not very easy to get all those things to happen in the three months. And what do they make you do again, Minister? They make you apply for the mortgage again, all over again. And another delay. That's absolutely ridiculous. Have you any power over the banks? Have you any interest in them? Say something to them and let common sense. I mean, if they get the mortgage once, why should they have to get it two or three times? Goddammit, sir, they don't make no sense in the world. Where are the planning guidelines that have been promised for five or six years? Where are the new, where are they? I hear you talking about planning in old radio even sometimes, in the current radio. And you see, we have problems down there. This thing of disowning land around, inside non-rural towns and villages. And you see, they want to zone more in the bigger towns. But developers will buy them sites and them areas. And the man wants to build his own house or buy his own site. He can get planning permission. And in this other world, urban generated pressure. If you're a person in that area, and you want to buy a site from your neighbor. Your neighbor will live beside him all your life. And because that territory is in what's known as urban generated pressure, you won't be allowed to build. If the neighbor next door to you, and the other side, owns the land, or his father owns the land, he can build. Even though the two went to school together, maybe in the same car, they walked to school together. One can get permission, and the other can't. It's absolutely ridiculous. Now there was a case in Belgium, going back there a few years ago. And Mara Hillary asked, by way of a motion, last week in Kerry County Council. Are the local authority acting illegally by insisting that you must be from a certain area, or otherwise you won't get permission? Now this happened a good number of years ago. Are you going to do anything about that? Are we acting illegally in this country? I mean Belgium is in Europe as well as us. So then our sewerage system, you're talking about building houses, and there's going to be so many houses built. But we have no sewerage system in many of our towns and villages in Kerry. Including Kinmere, and Castle Island, and Kilcumon. And the last one, last town caller. Something will have to be done about objectors, because there are people tormenting and tortured, and down through the ground. Thank you Deputy. Hi. Thank you. .
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