ONLY 43 homeowners in Donegal affected by the defective blocks crisis have been able to receive a full payment for remediation works in the first three years of the redress scheme.
Last year the amended defective blocks redress scheme was launched but campaigners say it is still not working and will leave families in debt.
According to figures obtained by Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin 1,880 homeowners have sought support since applications initially opened in 2020 while work has since started on 228 homes.
“When the legislation underpinning the revised scheme was introduced in 2022, we argued it was fundamentally flawed. At the request of homeowners we tabled more than 80 amendments to fix the scheme — but the minister ignored us,” Deputy Ó Broin said.
Mica Action Group chair Lisa Hone said there is a significant cost burden on families, even after they get approval.
“Because the scheme is retrospective there are cashflow issues with it as well,” Ms Hone added.
“It is not a 100 per cent scheme because there are caps in place, so any home beyond a certain size is not fully covered. Even with the grants that are allowed, there are significant costs for professional fees, engineers’ fees, demolition costs and planning fees in cases where a person cannot rebuild the house they are using.
“There are also things not included in the scheme, such as flooring. But you can’t repurpose tiles or try and relay the same wooden floor.”
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)