Mica Action Group to hold information evening on revised scheme.

An information evening has been organised for homeowners affected by defective concrete blocks to provide assistance on the workings of the revised Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme.

The Mica Action Group (MAG) will host the information evening on Monday next, July 24, at 7pm in the An Grianan Hotel, Burt.

The revised scheme was launched earlier this month, but homeowners have been left with a raft of concerns. After significant delays, the scheme was passed into law in early July and was opened to applications this week.

Some already-stressed homeowners have been daunted by the revised scheme - and Monday’s event will aim to provide some clarity.

"We have been receiving many enquiries from people who have not yet applied to the scheme feeling overwhelmed not knowing where to start and from people already in the scheme wondering about the next steps,” Lisa Hone, the MAG Chairperson, said.

“The information evening is an opportunity to allow those affected to come together after the publication of the scheme earlier this month. We are keenly aware of the many issues that still persist with the revised scheme, and they were very clearly laid out by ourselves and other counties' action group reps at the Housing Committee meeting on the 13th of July.”

MAG will make a short presentation to give an overview of the new scheme and MAG members will take questions from the floor.

Ms Hone said: “We cannot promise to have the answer to every question, but we have been pursuing the latest information from Donegal County Council, the Department of Housing and the Housing Agency to be able to provide as much clarity as possible.

“We hope that the evening will be useful and informative. All affected homeowners are welcome whether you are a member of MAG or not."

The defective blocks crisis is affecting around 5,000 homeowners in Donegal.

Many have already pointed to concerns that a home’s foundations falls outside of the scheme. A lack of retrospective support for those who have already used their own funds for repair or demolition has been cited as a major issue.

Eoin Ó Broin, the Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing, said a couple of weeks ago: “It does not provide 100% redress. It does not provide retrospective redress. It does not include foundations impacted by pyrrhotite, and IS 495 – the industry standard underpinning the original scheme – remains in place.

“This standard has been undermined by the emerging scientific evidence and has resulted in large number of applications for funding being stalled and it is likely that this will continue in the revised scheme. The damage threshold cannot be used as a barrier to access the scheme.”