Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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469. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a date has been set for a meeting between the expert panel and the affected homeowners in County Donegal and, if not, the reason; when the meeting will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7562/16]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks held its first meeting last week and, at that meeting, the panel agreed that it would arrange to meet with affected homeowners in Donegal in order to hear first-hand of the problems that have emerged in their homes. The panel would welcome all information that can be provided by affected homeowners which can assist them in their investigations in accordance with the terms of reference I announced late last year.

On behalf of the expert panel, my Department has recently written to the Mica Action Group, which represents many affected homeowners, to invite representatives to a meeting with the panel. It is proposed that the meeting will take place in Donegal in the second week of May subject to the agreement of the affected homeowners.

It is anticipated that the panel’s investigations will take in the order of six months to complete and will also require meetings with affected homeowners in Mayo as well as with public representatives, local authorities and a broad range of other parties in order to assist in establishing the nature of the problems in the affected dwellings in both counties.