Health Minister must act as seriously ill residents deteriorate in defective homes

Redress TD Charles Ward has challenged the Government in the Dáil over the plight of seriously ill and terminally ill residents trapped in defective concrete homes.

Deputy Ward has revealed that the Housing Agency has responded only with generic letters that fail to address medical urgency or provide practical support.

He highlighted how constituents with severely reduced lung capacity, elderly residents with heart conditions and dementia, and terminally ill families are desperate to see their homes rebuilt before they die.

“Each day in these unsafe homes worsens their health, yet many are stuck in the system, unable to progress through the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme due to appeals, capacity issues, and administrative obstacles,” he said.

“Housing continues to treat them as standard cases, offering no fast-tracking, no interim support, and no real solution.”

The Donegal TD gave specific examples: a lung-impaired constituent whose doctors warn that prolonged exposure to damp and mould is actively worsening her condition; an elderly couple forced to live in a home that aggravates their heart conditions and dementia; and a terminally ill parent desperate to see the family home rebuilt for their children before they die.

“These are real families, not statistics,” Ward said.

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Deputy Ward pressed Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to take urgent action. He asked that her Department: Coordinate directly with Housing to ensure medically vulnerable cases are prioritised; Fast-track cases blocked by appeals or capacity issues; Provide interim support where possible while statutory processes continue; Commission a study on the health impacts of prolonged exposure to damp and mould in defective concrete homes, providing evidence to guide urgent action.

“These families cannot wait for bureaucracy,” Ward said. “Where administrative delay intersects with serious illness, it is no longer a procedural issue; it is a public health crisis. Health has a responsibility to intervene where Housing is failing. Leadership means acting decisively to protect lives, not offering generic letters that leave people to deteriorate.”