A Sinn Féin delegation led by the party’s Housing Spokesperson, Eoin O’ Broin will meet with the Minister for Housing, Damien English this evening in Leinster House to push for a Mica Redress Scheme for the affected home owners in Donegal and Mayo.
Also in attendance will be Donegal Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Mayo Senator Rose Conway Walsh.
Responding to questions from Fianna Fail Deputy McConalogue in the Dáil last week, Minister Damien English claimed that the government intends on clarifying its position by the end of May/June.
Minister English said the protocol that was promised at a December meeting with the MICA Action Group in Donegal is ‘practically ready to be published’. He said: “It is the work of the NSAI; it is not work my Department can do directly. We asked the NSAI to prepare the protocol as quickly as possible. It should be published in the coming weeks and then we will be able to move on.”
Speaking ahead of today’s Sinn Fein delegation meeting, Senator Padraig Mac Lochlainn said: “I attended the meeting last December in Carndonagh where the Minister outlined to the affected families and local public representatives the actions that he had taken since the publication of the Expert Panel Report in June, 2017. We all left that meeting hopeful that the Government would move towards a Mica Redress Scheme and that the affected homeowners would be supported by the State in making their homes safe and sound.
“I have to say that I am frustrated with the recent responses from the Minister. Progress is too slow in implementing the first two key recommendations from the Expert Panel Report (the establishment of a simple standardised protocol for assessing the damage to homes and recommending remedial actions and need for this to be carried out by a competent registered professional).
“The Minister had indicated at the December meeting that this Summer, we would all have clarity on a resolution for the affected families and homeowners.
“Despite the delays in implementing the first two recommendations, there is nothing standing in the way of Minister English and the Government reassuring the affected families in Donegal and Mayo that they will soon have a Redress Scheme similar to the Pyrite Redress Scheme established a number of years back for similarly affected families in Dublin and North Leinster.
“I commend the Mica Action Group in Donegal for their successful campaigning to date and I intend to bring their real concerns and the concerns of all the public representatives in Donegal to the Minister directly this evening.”
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