Mica Action Group turn up pressure on public representatives
MAG has written to all politicians in Donegal asking for a response to three questions over the recently-revised defective concrete blocks scheme
Pressure is mounting on the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien and leading Government officials to attend a public meeting with homeowners in Donegal affected by defective concrete blocks.
The Mica Action Group (MAG) has written to all public representatives in Donegal seeking responses to three questions.
This follows a MAG information evening on July 24 in Burt, after which a letter was sent to Minister O’Brien requesting he attend a public meeting.
Thousands of homes and other buildings in Donegal are blighted by defective concrete blocks. A recently received defective concrete blocks scheme was approved, but concerned homeowners remain worried about its implementation.
Engineers Ireland, for instance, report that their members are encountering difficulty securing public liability insurance without which they cannot operate. Engineers Ireland said: “They (insurers) believe the residual risk of retaining blocks combined with the number of houses affected is too great for them to take on.”
The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) reaffirmed that ‘it remains the position of the SCSI that best practice is to build to current regulations or to exceed current regulations’ as opposed to the pre-2008 regulations employed by the scheme.
The NSAI indicated it is likely that it will take another 18 months to finalise testing and make standard revisions.
MAG says that the government has implemented a scheme without having scientific evidence that the remediation solutions recommended are failsafe.
MAG has written to TDs, Senators and Councillors in Donegal and asked for a yes or no answer to three questions:
Do you believe the DCB scheme as it stands is fit for purpose?
Do you believe that the DCB scheme as it stands will ensure ‘the vast majority of those who need help will get all the financial assistance they need’?
Do you believe that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien and the Deptartment of Housing officials and advisors responsible for the design and writing of the scheme should attend a public meeting in Donegal with impacted homeowners to address their concerns and questions?
MAG says the responses will be published ‘to afford transparency for affected homeowners’.
“Now the revised scheme is finalised and published in black and white, it is important that those impacted and the county in general understand the clear position of all our public representatives towards the scheme,” said MAG Chairperson Lisa Hone.
“Affected homeowners are raising serious concerns, particularly around the science, finances, insurance, how homeowners in vulnerable or complex situations will access the scheme and the on-going lack of alternative accommodation.”
Ms Hone says it is ‘not unreasonable’ to ask the Minister for Housing, officials and advisors to attend a meeting. MAG have urged public representatives to ‘do everything in their power’ to support the affected homeowners.
She said: “The responses we receive will be published in the next few days. In addition, strong statements have been made by Government officials within the last few weeks, such as ‘the vast majority of those who need help will get all the financial assistance they need’. This statement does not match the experience of homeowners we are speaking to.
“The Deptartment of Housing need to evidence such a statement with facts, figures and real-life examples. If they cannot back up the statement factually, it should be publicly retracted, as it is on record and misleading to the Housing Committee, Oireachtas and general public.”