Tag Archives: Clare Pyrite Action Group

THE Minister for Housing has insisted that the bar has not been raised for Clare in terms of access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, writes Fiona McGarry. However, Darragh O’Brien is likely to face intense questioning when he meets the county’s Oireachtas members in Dublin this Thursday, January 27. Ahead of the meeting, Minister O’Brien issued a written assurance to Senator Martin Conway, who raised serious concerns over the level of detail being sought by the Department, as follow-up to a report submitted by the local authority last July. “It must be noted that the bar for entry for eligibility for inclusion into the scheme has not been raised by officials from my Department,” the letter stated. Speaking to The Champion, Senator Conway said he did not doubt the Minister’s sincerity in wanting to support Clare homeowners. He noted, however, that it is now six months since Darragh O’Brien visited homeowners in this county. “It is very regrettable …

THE founder the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) has been sharply critical of the Department of Housing over ongoing delays in access to the financial support scheme.  Further testing is currently being carried out “to satisfy the Department of the linkage between the deterioration of the blockwork and the confirmed presence of pyrite in the samples”, the Council has told The Champion. It follows queries raised by the Department in December, to which the authority responded shortly before Christmas.  Dr Martina Cleary said the Department, which is still the considering the report seeking access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, is now asking the Council “to look for a needle in a haystack”. She also questioned why the authority did not test its own housing stock at the start of last year, in tandem with the testing of five private homes located across the county.  The Crusheen woman said both the expert engineer and the testing laboratories engaged by …

THE Housing Minister has been told that ongoing delays in supporting Clare homeowners affected by pyrite represents “an undeniable form of discrimination”. In an open letter to Minister Darragh O’Brien, the founder of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) said the group is “at a loss” to understand why technical evidence provided on the impact of defective materials is not being accepted by his department. The letter also refers to Minister O’Brien’s visit to Clare last August, during which he pledged that a decision would be made in a matter of weeks on the Council’s request for access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.  The letter states that homeowner in this county are being subjected to “a prolonged and even calculated form of exclusion, compromising both our human and constitutional rights as Irish and European citizens”.  Concerns are also raised over the revised grant scheme, as outlined last November. The letter calls for the abolition of the proposed sliding scale …

PROTESTERS will march through Ennis on Saturday week, five months after the Housing Minister promised to support Clare homeowners affected by pyrite.  Efforts to have Clare included in the revised grant scheme for those with defective blocks are still ongoing, with correspondence being exchanged between the Council and the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government. Considerable frustration has been expressed with the fact that the Department is querying several aspects of a report submitted by the local authority last July asking for inclusion in the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.  Members of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) are now appealing to the public for their support in progressing the issue and are asking them to gather at Áras an Chontae in Ennis at 2pm on January 29, and join a walk to the O’Connell monument at The Height.  “More and more impacted homeowners are contacting the Clare Pyrite Action Group, asking for advice and help, but we are still …

CLARE homeowners affected by pyrite are being encouraged to explore their legal options in accessing redress, as part of a series of ‘pathfinder’ cases being taken to the High Court in the coming months. Founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG), Dr Martina Cleary confirmed she will be participating in the action, alongside several homeowners in Donegal, who are affected by mica. “I am happy to say Clare Pyrite Action Group will have a number of pathfinder cases going forward with Coleman Legal in the New Year,” she said. “I personally have signed up to this action, as none of our local representatives have been able to secure justice for impacted homeowners in County Clare.” Dr Cleary also confirmed that solicitor Dave Coleman will meet Clare homeowners soon to outline their options. Under Irish law, class actions are not currently permitted, hence the need to file several individual cases, as so-called ‘pathfinders’. “In path-finder cases, the courts are asked …

EMOTIONS ran high at a meeting in Ennis on Friday night last when homeowners affected by pyrite voiced concern that they are still not eligible to apply for State redress. One homeowner, among the crowd of over 50 who attended, shared her story and appealed for action for the hundreds like her in Clare. She said she is particularly concerned over discussion in the media about the burden that the revised €2.2 billion Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme will put on the tax payer. “I have been a PAYE worker all my life,” she said. “I pay tax for very little in return, because I look at the health system and I look at the schooling system. I have two kids with ADHD and I have to fight for everything. “Can I boycott my taxes? Or will I end up in jail? “When I hear people saying, ‘Oh, we can’t fund this [scheme] with the taxpayer’s money… Jesus Christ, we’re …

DEEP disappointment was expressed, at a meeting in Ennis of homeowners affected by pyrite at the fact the revised grant scheme makes no mention of this county. Despite the submission of a detailed technical report by the council in July and assurances in August from the Housing Minister that Clare would be given access to the grant within “a matter of weeks”, homeowners here are still waiting. More than 50 people gathered for the event which was also attended by the Mayor of Clare, Councillor PJ Ryan, deputies Joe Carey and Cathal Crowe and senators Timmy Dooley and Martin Conway. For Clare Pyrite Action Group’s second public meeting of the year, the tables were turned as members took the top table and politicians sat in the audience. High on the agenda was the revised Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, unveiled on November 30 and still confined to Mayo and Donegal. “Clare is nowhere in this scheme,” said Dr Martina Cleary, …

SERIOUS questions have been raised over the council’s application to have the defective blocks grant extended to Clare, The Champion has learned. Despite an assurance from the Housing Minister in August that a decision would be made within “a matter of weeks”, his Department is challenging several aspects of the council’s submission. In November, Minister Darragh O’Brien told Clare Oireachtas members his Department’s concerns were not “insurmountable”. However, a letter issued on Monday poses far-reaching questions. The document queries whether pyrite is the only cause of damage to the five homes tested. “It is unclear whether the presence of pyrite has manifested itself in structural wall damage, or if the walls are damaged either wholly or partially by another cause,” the seven-page letter states. The document adds that while the technical report has confirmed excessive amounts of pyrite, “it has not been stated however that the damage which has been documented has manifested due to the presence of reactive pyrite, …