The Agriculture Minister is confident a 100% redress scheme will be delivered for homeowners affected by the Mica scandal.
The Mica Working Group this evening met with the Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to discuss his plans for the scheme.
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%.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister O'Brien said he had assured the homeowners that "enhancements" would be made to the scheme.
“I agree wholeheartedly with the homeowner representatives that what has happened to them is through absolutely no fault of their own,” he said.
“Let me be very clear that there will be no delaying this process. I absolutely understand the urgency associated with this matter and I want a scheme which works for people.
“As I have said from the start, enhancements to the scheme will be required and will be made with whole of Government approval.”
On The Hard Shoulder this evening, the Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said he is confident a full compensation deal will be delivered.
“I am confident now that we will get a scheme that is fit for purpose,” he said.
“I am very clear that that needs to be a scheme that delivers full compensation for the homeowners in terms of getting their homes fixed and I am confident that, working with my colleagues, we can deliver that over the time ahead.”
Mica
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.
In around one-third of cases, the houses will need to be demolished and rebuilt and the total cost is expected to be well over €1.5bn.
Minister McConalogue, who is a TD for Donegal, was also asked whether he would step down from Cabinet if the homeowners rejected the Government’s offer.
“I certainly don’t intend to be in that position because I am very confident of working with my colleagues and with the support of my colleagues that we will be able to deliver a scheme that actually fully caters to the needs of homeowners and covers the costs of having their homes fixed and allowing them to get back on with their lives,” he said.
Redress
Minister O'Brien said he expects to receive the final report from the Defective Concrete Blocks Working Group tomorrow.
He said he will then work on final proposals for the scheme with the Taoiseach and senior ministers before presenting them to Cabinet.
You can listen back to Minister McConalogue here:
