MICA scheme to come before cabinet tomorrow

THE MICA scheme that will allow householders in Donegal affected by the defective blocks scandal to repair their homes will come before Cabinet tomorrow for approval.

This follows a meeting on Thursday between members of the MICA Action Group (MAG), Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Damien English, Education Minister Joe McHugh and department representatives in Leinster House. Chairperson of the MICA group Ann Owens attended the meeting along with Michael Doherty and Damien Mc Kay, Structural and Civil Engineer.

Ms Owens said: “They confirmed that they have been working on all aspects of bringing this scheme together since October as promised, and further indicated that a draft scheme is due to go before Cabinet this coming Tuesday.

“We were very heartened to hear about such significant progress and are very hopeful that this will gain cross party support and gain approval on Tuesday, finally putting an end to the considerable worry and devastation that this has caused families over the last number of years. We hope that it will considerably alleviate the burden for families this Christmas knowing that they can look forward to getting our homes fixed in the near future.

“We asked for further details as to how the scheme will work and whilst it has not yet been approved, we have been told the proposal is that following an assessment of each home by a registered Engineer, a recommendation on how to ‘fix’ each property will be made.”

The engineer appointed will decide whether the replacement of the outer leaf of the property is needed or a total rebuild. Based on the size of each property, the square footage, a monetary value will be made as to how much this will cost to implement.

Each affected homeowner who has been approved on the scheme, will then receive a grant to fix their home, with the necessity to comply with the required standards and specifications – set out by the registered engineer.

“This approach is very much welcomed by MAG as it is very important to homeowners that they have control of the suppliers used in fixing their home,” explained Ms Owens.

“As discussed with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in September, the key supplier responsible for this issue must not be allowed to be a key beneficiary of the scheme. This approach enables homeowners to make that decision and to select the supplier that best suits their needs as long as they can deliver to the required specification. We were also informed that Engineers Ireland have already drafted the training material to train engineers up on this issue and have already started actively recruiting for the programme. We would ask that if any engineers in the North West (or further afield) are interested in participating in the scheme we would ask them to get in touch with Engineers Ireland or with ourselves and we can pass on your details.

“In summary, this is another huge step forward in the fight for redress for affected homeowners. This is what we have fought long and hard for from Government over the last 8 years. It is important to note that as we approach 2019, a lot of work still needs to be done and MAG are determined to work alongside government to help deliver it to the highest standard.”

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