Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald made a series of promises to defective block homeowners today during a visit to Inishowen.
Ms McDonald was accompanied by Donegal TDs Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty as they visited campaigners Paddy Diver, who is undergoing a rebuild of his home in Carndonagh. They were joined by other campaigners and Professor Paul Dunlop of Ulster University, a leading researcher on the concrete blocks scandal and affected homeowner.
Following the ‘lengthy and detailed discussions’, Deputy McDonald said that a change of government will deliver 100% redress.
She said: “Thousands of families, through no fault of their own have been left in an appalling situation for years now because of the use of defective blocks in their homes.
“They have been very badly let down by the outgoing Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael government who have not taken this issue seriously and have shown no urgency. The result is that only a very small number of homeowners out of the thousands affected have had their homes remediated but they have had to pay tens of thousands of euro themselves. This is utterly unfair and everyone else continues to be left in limbo with no certainty for the future.”
“Today we set out Sinn Féin’s commitment to deliver 100% redress which would ensure that all residential properties are remediated with surrounding walls and ancillary buildings covered. It would also include holiday homes and rental properties that remain in the rental sector with no clawback for the first three properties. Separately, we will audit commercial and community properties to identify the extent and scale of what is required and options for redress.
“We have a clear plan and have ensured that the funding will be in place from day one so that the maximum number of homes can be remediated quickly.
“After so many years of families getting the run around, it is clear that a change of government is the only thing that will deliver 100% redress and allow all of these families to move forward with their lives. That is the least that they deserve after all that they have been put through.”
