A Donegal County Councillor has strongly disagreed with Minister Charlie McConalogue’s claim of “significant progress” under the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, saying the government’s narrative is “deeply misleading” and ignores the scientific and human reality facing Donegal families.
Cllr Joy Beard said the Minister points to 205 completed homes as proof of success, “but most of those were rebuilt using remediation options that are not based on science. Families accepted them because, after fourteen years, they had no other choice. That is not progress, that is desperation being dressed up as delivery.”
The 100% Redress councillor said the reality of completions is that nearly half the homes were not full demolitions.
She stressed that further figures released recently of completed works confirms that 229 homes have been completed under the “Enhanced Defective Blocks Scheme” and latest data shows only 121 homes received the correct, science-based remediation.
Whereas nearly half of all completed homes (108 properties) were given partial or combination repairs. Approaches she said are now known to be inadequate and which experts say will need to be revisited in future.
“Calling these partial fixes ‘progress’ is irresponsible. It wastes taxpayers’ money and leaves families facing a second rebuild down the line,” said Cllr Beard.
“The Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme began in July 2023. In the 29 months since, only 229 have been remediated in Donegal. That is a delivery rate of 8 homes per month. If up to a conservative estimate of 20,000 homes in Donegal will ultimately require full demolition and rebuild, then at this pace it will take: More than 211 years to complete the work.
“This is not progress. This is a multigenerational housing catastrophe that the Government is leaving to future generations.”
“For more than a decade, the State has failed to acknowledge the true cause of structural failure — internal sulphate attack driven by reactive iron sulphides such as pyrrhotite. We are still using the term ‘mica homes’ even though mica is not the cause of collapse.
“Until the Government formally recognises the real cause, families will continue to suffer. The Government cannot claim progress while refusing to accept the science.
“Every improvement has come only because homeowners pushed, campaigned and fought for it. The Government has never led. It has only followed when forced.”
“Families are living in homes where rain pours down internal walls, floors lift, mould spreads across children’s bedrooms, and heating bills are enormous because the homes cannot retain heat. Many downgraded families have been waiting more than two years for appeals. That is not a functioning scheme.
“Families approved for demolition still cannot begin because they must find tens of thousands of euros up front for engineering reports, testing, storage, rent deposits and utility disconnections. If families must borrow to access the scheme, with a cap in place it can never be 100% redress,” said Cllr Beard.
She added that the 8.7 per cent grant uplift, based on March 2024 SCSI data, was already out of date by the time it appeared in legislation, and the 43 early movers have been left behind and promises broken.
“Unless I.S. 465 is urgently reformed, rebuilt homes will remain unmortgageable and uninsured. That is not redress — it is entrapment.”
“If the Minister wants to talk about progress, he must face reality.”
“Progress is not measured by forcing families into debt. It is not measured by out-of-date grant rates or delayed appeals. And it certainly is not measured by the number of families who accepted the wrong remediation option because they had no alternative.”
“Homeowners pushed for every improvement. The Government only acted when forced. Fourteen years into this crisis, families deserve a scheme based on science, fairness, 100% redress, no property excluded and a state managed end to end scheme for those that wish to avail of it, not spin like we have been hearing recently,” Cllr Beard concluded.
