A report delivered to Government on the Mica redress scheme is not the final word on the matter, according to the Taoiseach.
The report found that the scheme could cost the taxpayer up to €3.2bn.
Up to 7,000 homes in Donegal, Mayo and Sligo are thought to have been built using defective blocks that are crumbling due to high levels of the mineral Mica.
The redress scheme established in January 2020 offers homeowners 90% of the cost of repairs; however, campaign groups are calling for that to be increased to 100%.
The report delivered to Government last night found that the scheme should cover the cost of remediation works, but not the full cost of demolition of homes.
It is believed around one-third of the affected homes will need to be demolished and Mica campaigners today warned that they will not accept any scheme that does not cover 1`00% redress for all.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is down in Rosslare at the customs centre. Flynn the Spaniel on duty pic.twitter.com/3qXZssVrfF
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) October 1, 2021
Speaking in Wexford this afternoon, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin says further consideration will be needed.
“I have spoken with the minister this morning and he said that report is made up the submissions made by the working groups and a record of meetings,” he said.
“It is not the final report that will come to us and certainly to the three party leaders and to Cabinet
“So, we will meet with the minister and his officials in relation to this but suffice to say that significant progress has been made in terms of the original scheme.”
Report
The report notes that more than half of the homes availing of the current Mica scheme have applied for the complete demolition of their homes and warns that this could become “the norm.”
It was prepared by the Working Group on the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme which includes department officials, affected homeowners and local authority reps.
Homeowners today warned that its findings do not reflect the submissions from their representatives.
Redress
Eamonn Jackson from the Mica Action Group told Newstalk the proposals are not acceptable.
“We are completely hopeful in what the minister has promised us,” he said.
“We are looking for 100% redress. Our people have given us a mandate to get 100% redress and we can’t leave anybody behind.”
Eamon Jackson from the Mica Action Group says the government should do whatever it takes to rectify the situation.
“If you are sitting at a home in Dublin €3.2bn may sound like a shocking figure; however, if you are sitting in Milford surrounded by what I am surrounded by – looking at people’s homes collapsing, the crumbling of the blocks, the mental state of people in the area deteriorating you know, it is not a case of looking at the €3.2bn,” he said.
“Any price to get our homes fixed is the important bit.”
The Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will now discuss the report with coalition party leaders before submitting proposals to Cabinet.
Reporting from Sean Defoe
