Pyrite Panel Report Recommendations

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2016

Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Questions (36)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

36. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the work of the expert panel established to examine the issue of mica including the number of homes it visited in County Donegal in early May 2016 and when it will report its findings to him; if he will put a redress scheme in place to provide financial assistance to affected home owners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11328/16]

Oral answers (5 contributions)

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Damien English)

The expert panel on concrete blocks has met on two occasions since it was established in early April. The panel has also visited the owners of nine affected homes during the second week of May in order to view at first hand the problems that have emerged in those homes. In addition, the panel held meetings with representatives from the Mica Action Group and with elected members and officials from Donegal County Council in order to seek additional information on the nature of the problems that have emerged in the blockwork of the affected homes.

It is intended that the panel will seek further meetings over the coming weeks with a broad range of stakeholders, other interested parties and elected representatives in order to assist them in their understanding of the nature of the problems facing affected home owners in both Donegal and Mayo. This will facilitate the gathering of information in order to complete their report in accordance with their terms of reference.

It is anticipated that the expert panel will require in the order of six months to complete its investigations and to submit its report on the matter. I will await the outcome of the panel’s report before considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in Donegal and Mayo. That will probably bring us up to September or maybe October, to allow six months, as the panel was only formed in February.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I would like to emphasise the importance of this issue for County Donegal and the impact it has had on the affected home owners since there is a new Government in place and two new Ministers, the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Coveney. We do not have a figure at the moment in terms of the number of houses that are affected, but for those who are affected, it has had a devastating impact on their family life and is a very stressful situation for them to be in, considering the financial impact and considerations in trying to redress it. There are certainly hundreds and probably thousands of homes in the county that are affected by the defective blocks. It is absolutely crucial that this committee reports on time.

Unfortunately, much time passed in terms of setting it up and it was not prompt enough, but it is crucial that no time is lost in acting on its recommendations and in the Government working with the affected home owners. This is particularly so because any continuation of the delay in this will see houses deteriorate further. The amount of funds that will be taken to redress the problem and repair it will be significantly larger if it is allowed continue. I ask the Minister of State to ensure the panel reports quickly but I also ask him and the Minister, as the two new Ministers responsible, to visit the county at their earliest opportunity and make themselves familiar with the problem facing so many home owners in the county, so that they can see the importance of it and act on it as a Government.

Deputy Damien English

In fairness to the expert panel, regardless of how long it took to set it up, it has worked quite fast. It was only announced in April but it has already been in Donegal and has met nine families and many others who are involved in the situation, so it is well on top of the brief. We will all meet at some point. I have not had a chance as Minister of State to sit down with the panel, but we will do that very shortly and I will commit here and now to visiting affected families in Donegal. I have seen the effects that difficulties like pyrite can have. I know what it is like, having dealt with it in my own county as well, so we will certainly meet them.

It is important that we let the expert panel do its work. The whole basis of any solution for all affected parties is to let the experts do their work first of all. They will analyse the report and will engage with all of us. The mica group itself says there are 284 members it knows of whose households are affected. There is talk of thousands; we do not know whether the figures are true or false. All I know is that about 300 have identified themselves as having difficulties. The expert panel is moving fast already. It has said it needs six months but I think it might beat that target. We are already a month into the six-month period.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

From having visited a number of the householders affected and having been out campaigning during the general election, I believe the numbers are in the thousands, rather than the hundreds. It is a very significant problem. The home owners were very frustrated by the delay in the panel being set up to assess the problem. I agree with the Minister of State that the panel must now have the time and the opportunity to report, and it is important that it happens within the timeframe available. I want to emphasise to the Minister of State, Deputy English, and to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, as the new Ministers responsible for this area, that time is crucial in terms of the intervention and trying to ensure a solution is found for those home owners. Already a number of the home owners involved have taken measures to take down the outer leaf of the home affected, leaving the inner wall and rebuilding the outer wall. If it is caught early enough, and the expert panel will have to report on this, there is a feeling that this remedy may ensure there is a long-term solution available to homes. However, if it gets to the stage where the inner leaf of the wall is also affected, then obviously the whole house may not be salvageable. It is crucial that we act quickly once the panel reports. I thank the Minister of State for taking up the offer to visit and see the homes. They are home owners like him, and I would encourage the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to attend along with him, so that they are both fully aware of the extent of the problem.

Deputy Damien English

To be clear, some of the houses affected by this were built in 1980. The majority, we know, were probably built between 1999 and 2008, so they are built quite a long time as it is, but the expert panel will do its work. I will also visit as Minister of State. We will analyse this and we will find solutions that involve all the affected parties. However, we have to let the expert panel spend a couple of months analysing the situation and coming back with suggested solutions. There is no point in rushing this; we have to get it right.

Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.