Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I met homeowners from Donegal yesterday who were living in a nightmare situation because of mica and pyrite in their homes. This is a serious issue that thousands of property owners in Donegal are experiencing. Due to a failure to properly regulate quarries, it is estimated that up to 30,000 homes and many thousands of commercial properties have been built using defective concrete products. It is believed that the problem affects up to 16 counties. It is particularly prevalent in Donegal. I thank Councillor Joy Beard for raising this issue with me yesterday and for her advocacy and activism work and that of her colleagues on Donegal County Council on behalf of the people of Donegal who are living in this situation.

Although the Government has established an enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme, it is fundamentally flawed and fails to acknowledge the real cause of the problem. Until recently, the Government has pushed the narrative that it was the presence of mica, exasperated by cold temperatures, that was the reason for concrete blocks crumbling like Weetabix. However, the problem is much greater than that. Incredibly, foundations are not covered by the scheme, so the Government could fund the remediation of a house that was built on crumbling foundations.

In an effort to ease the administrative burden on Donegal County Council, the Government passed responsibility for the scheme to the Housing Agency, whose main role seems to be to lower the scheme’s cost to the Government rather than to provide actual support and remediation to people living with their children in homes that have black mould, are poorly insulated and are literally crumbling around them. It is shameful that, faced with the lack of proper, full and comprehensive action from the Government, the people experiencing these difficulties have had to take their case to Europe and that the EU has found the Government to be negligent in its market surveillance of the concrete industry.

I call for this issue to be front and centre for those seeking election in affected counties, for an explicit reference to addressing defective concrete products to be included in the next programme for Government, and for the Government to act to comprehensively support those experiencing this issue rather than just trying to keep its costs down. We cannot let these people down any longer. They need and deserve our support. From meeting the families yesterday, it is heartbreaking. The kids are living in mouldy houses where the rain is coming in the door. They are now starting to experience problems – not physically, but the mental health impact is soul-destroying for these people. The Government has to start taking responsibility.

I thank Mr. Martin Groves and his staff for all of their work. I thank my colleagues in the Civil Engagement Group, Senators Flynn, Ruane and Higgins. It was fantastic working with them. I loved it. I also loved working with all of the CEG’s staff. I thank my own staff - Ms Emma Quearney, Mr. Seb McAteer and Mr. Seán Egan, who has left me for bigger and better things. I wish all of my colleagues in the House the very best in their election campaigns.