Deputy Charlie McConalogue says Government delays in publishing the MICA expert panel report are totally unacceptable.
According to correspondence received by Deputy McConalogue from former Housing Minister Paudie Coffey, the expert panel established to investigate the presence of Mica and defective blocks in Donegal homes was due to report back by the end of May 2016.
The Minister extended the panel’s deadline to the end of October 2016 before pushing it out again to December 2016.
He added that it is now the beginning of March 2017 and the report has still not been published.
Deputy McConalogue said the delay in publishing its findings is simply unacceptable.
The Donegal TD said Minister English cannot allow this important document to sit on his desk while thousands of homeowners are left in the lurch. He must give the report his full consideration as a matter of urgency.
“Thousands of homes are thought to have been built with defective Mica blocks, which have now resulted in major structural problems. Many families have been living in unstable houses for years without any resolution in sight. We have seen a similar situation in Dublin and some commuter counties where pyrite has rendered many homes uninhabitable. The Government set up a compensation scheme to deal with that issue and I believe a similar scheme needs to be implemented for homeowners in Donegal.
“This issue needs immediate action and I have called on Minister English to provide assistance as a matter of urgency and set a date for the publication of the expert panel’s report. It is a living nightmare for those families whose homes are affected and the Government needs to address the issue immediately.”
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