Deputy Joe McHugh says he will not stand over the revised Mica scheme.
The Donegal Fine Gael TD said the scheme needs to be fixed “because it’s not going to work”.
Homeowners were left stunned yesterday by the eleventh hour additon of a sliding scale on rates of redress per square foot. For the average home of 2,400sq. ft., the scale would leave a homeowner €65,000 out of pocket.
Speaking to RTE’s Today with Claire Byrne, Deputy McHugh said he could not see the sense, or any logical application of the revised scheme. He said he will not stand over the scheme if people are excluded.
He added that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, who announced the scheme yesterday, “knows there is an issue.”
“He knows I have an issue with it. He knows my colleagues have an issue with it and so we need to get it fixed,” Deputy McHugh said.
While he acknowledge that “it’s a good scheme overall”, Deputy McHugh added that homeowners need to be given assurance this month that the scheme will be amended.
Earlier this month, Deputy McHugh said he may consider leaving Fine Gael if the Mica redress is not acceptable to homeowners.
The new scheme, estimated to cost €2.2 billion, will cap the amount of redress on offer for each home at €420,000. The square foot rate was set at €145 for the first 1,000 square feet, falling to €110 after that and €100 per foot for the remainder.
Mica Action Group members say this sliding scale element was not communicated to homeowners before yesterday’s announcment. Mica Action Group PRO Michael Doherty says the limit “needs smashed now.”