Drop party politics and keep focus on justice, meeting told

TENSIONS flared between some of the county’s Oireachtas members at a public meeting with members of the Clare Pyrite Action Group last Friday night.
There were some heated exchanges and accusations of “playing politics” as Deputy Violet Anne Wynne criticised members of the government parties over their “political gestures”.
“I don’t believe we should even be here tonight,” she told the meeting. “I’m very disappointed in how Clare has been treated…
“What each of the speakers has said so far has only been political gestures and nothing more than that.… I don’t think that it takes much for government to call for equality.
“For us in Sinn Fein, that’s what this issue is about. In Dublin and in Leinster, they were afforded 100% redress.”
The Sinn Fein TD said that rather than hearing from politicians, she would prefer to hear from members of the public.
She was also sharply critical of Deputy Cathal Crowe, accusing him of a lack of clarity on the cost of a local authority report on the pyrite problem. The report, which was submitted to government on July 23, forms the basis of the case for granting Clare access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.
Deputy Crowe said that the Council had incurred costs of €80,000, but members of the action group insisted that pyrite testing for five homes would only account for €35,000.
“I don’t think it’s helpful to throw a number out there like that, and to leave everybody wondering what’s going on there,” Deputy Wynne said.
Amid accusations of “playing politics”, exchanged between Deputy Wynne and Deputy Crowe, Senator Roisin Garvey intervened.
“€35,000 was for [testing of] the five houses,” she said, reading from an email from the Council. “The €80,000 includes testing on our own properties and for technical input. The €80,000 is made up of [the cost of] testing of five houses and work done on the council’s own properties as well.”
In response to a question from Deputy Wynne, Senator Garvey said the Council had tested “two whole council estates”.
“It’s great now that everyone here has that information,” Deputy Wynne remarked.
In response to a question from founder of the action group, Dr Martina Cleary, Senator Garvey said the costs breakdown had come from Director of Services for Housing, Anne Haugh.
“I’m glad I did actually raise it then,” Deputy Wynne said, “so that you were able to jump in there and give that information to the people.
“We’re in an age of technology and an age of information. I don’t believe it should be that hard to get access to that kind of information and to give it out to the people so that there is transparency.”
Returning to her main point, Deputy Wynne said it was wrong that Clare homeowners had been waiting so long.
“You can laugh all you want, it doesn’t bother me,” she remarked to Senator Garvey, who left the meeting shortly afterwards. The Green Party member had earlier explained she needed to attend to a family matter.
Following the exchanges, Senator Martin Conway warned against “political fracturing”.
“It’s not helpful if we at the top table are disputing and arguing,” he said. “The bottom line is there’s a significant wrong that has to be righted. As far as I’m concerned, both Joe Carey and I are at one completely on this issue.”
The Fine Gael member said he would not defend the delay in giving the grant to Clare.
“The only thing that we can do is work together and I would appeal to Violet Anne and everybody else that’s here, let’s work together. If we are united, we have some chance of delivering, but if we’re bickering and fighting among ourselves, we’re going nowhere.
“My appeal to my colleagues at the top table: let’s drop the party politics and let’s deliver the scheme.”