Carlow homeowners now eligible for compensation through defective block scheme
It follows a letter from Minister for Housing James Browne to Minister Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Homeowners in Carlow are now eligible for compensation from the Defective Concrete Block Scheme.
It follows a letter from Minister for Housing James Browne to Minister Jennifer Murnane O'Connor stating that he had approved the recommendation to include Carlow in the scheme.
However, an exact timeline for when people in Carlow could apply for compensation has not been stated, according to the Carlow Nationalist.
Keith Brady is one of those affected by a home built with defective concrete, meaning the blocks in his house had started to crumble.
He expressed his frustration at how long it had taken for Carlow to be added to the scheme, as well as the lack of a timeline.
"It’s been like this for four years. We just want someone to give us a date for when we are going to become part of the scheme. There’s us and nine or ten other families, I think. We just want to know why we are second-class citizens. Everyone else seems to be in except Carlow," Keith explained.
He added that the condition of his home has deteriorated further in recent weeks.
What started as cracks in one wall has now spread to three, with the cold weather making the situation worse.
"If nothing is done by the end of the year, we’ll have to think of getting out because I’m worried that the chimney is going to come down and someone will be walking past, either myself, my wife or my kids," Keith said.
Minister Browne said a motion for a resolution in both houses of the Oireachtas has to be moved before Carlow can be recognised as part of the scheme.
Once passed, a second memorandum must be made to the government requesting the order to be formally made.