The refusal of HomeBond to appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht is a matter of serious public concern, according to committee chairman Ciarán Lynch.
The Committee has agreed to request Minister Hogan to encourage HomeBond to appear before the Committee to discuss the cost of restoring the structural integrity of houses damaged by the use of pyrite in building materials, said a statement.
“As part of the Committee’s hearings into the cost of restoring houses damaged by the use of pyrite in building materials, HomeBond was invited before the Committee to explain its decision to opt out of legal responsibility to the purchasers of homes damaged by pyrite,” said Lynch.
As HomeBond is a private limited company, the Committee could not compel it to appear before it to discuss the topic. However, the refusal by HomeBond to discuss an issue of public importance with an Oireachtas Committee is a matter of serious public concern, said Lynch.
The Committee noted that HomeBond had decided to engage with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government on this issue by participating in the Pyrite Panel established by Mr Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
Advertisement
“We are surprised and disappointed that HomeBond should, at the same time, refuse to engage with an Oireachtas Committee on the same issue,” said Lynch.
“The Committee has agreed to ask Minister Hogan to encourage HomeBond to appear, as requested, before the Committee to discuss this very important issue at its earliest convenience.”
“The Committee has agreed to ask Minister Hogan to encourage HomeBond to appear, as requested, before the Committee to discuss this very important issue at its earliest convenience.”
