A COUNCILLOR has urgently appealed to the Minister for Housing, James Browne, to take decisive action for families in defective concrete-block homes, saying too many are facing another Christmas abandoned in unsafe conditions.
This comes as Buncrana Cllr Joy Beard said the Cabinet’s approval of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 has “failed to deliver the supports devastated families desperately need”.
“No family should face Christmas in a crumbling home,” Cllr Beard said.
“Thousands of families across Donegal and the northwest will spend Christmas in houses that are literally falling apart around them.
“No family should be left in fear, cold, damp, or danger during the holidays.
“The Government still has time to bring hope to these abandoned families, but only if it acts now.”
She said she is deeply disappointed that side-by-side rebuilds in exceptional circumstances were excluded from the Bill.
“There are families with disabilities, complex medical needs, and no suitable adapted accommodation available anywhere in Donegal,” she said.
“They simply cannot be displaced.
“Excluding side-by-side rebuilds has left the most vulnerable abandoned once again.”
Cllr Beard highlighted the injustice faced by the 43 early-starter homeowners who acted on Government assurances.
“These families followed State instructions and were promised by former Minister Darragh O’Brien that they would not be disadvantaged,” she said.
“Instead, they have been abandoned twice, left with huge debt because of State failings.
“Their exclusion is a disgrace.”
Cllr Beard also criticised the Government’s decision to once again waive pre-legislative scrutiny.
“This silences homeowners and shuts down debate,” she said.
“Homeowners submitted eighty amendments previously.
“None were taken on board.
“We might have a fair scheme now if those proposals had even been considered.
“It is a failure of accountability and transparency.”
She said the new remediation rates are already insufficient due to Government delay.
“The rates are based on SCSI figures from March 2024, even though construction inflation has risen sharply since then,” she said.
“The northwest alone has seen costs rise nine percent.
“These rates will not cover the real cost of rebuilding.”
Cllr Beard repeated her warnings about the severe shortage of rental accommodation.
“People cannot leave their homes because there is nowhere to go,” she said.
“There is no temporary accommodation plan, despite repeated pleas from families living in dangerous conditions.
“This is a humanitarian crisis, not a housing issue.”
Cllr Beard said Minister Browne has not followed through on his commitment to meet homeowner representatives after May 2025 and called on him to meet with her without delay.
“It is not too late for the Minister to bring hope to abandoned families this Christmas,” she said.
“We need a temporary accommodation plan, fair and up-to-date rates, justice for early starters, side-by-side rebuilds where necessary, and genuine engagement.
“I am prepared to meet in Dublin any day, any time.”
