Tag Archives: Defective Blocks Bill

CLARE TD Cathal Crowe declared himself “happy” when he spoke about the budget in the Dáil, but he did criticise the introduction of a levy on concrete products. “The concrete levy of 10% is something I have a number of concerns about. Just a few weeks ago we passed a massive redress package for home owners with defective mica and pyrite concrete blocks in their buildings. “It was right to do so. The detail of that will be stitched into regulations and brought forward in a redress scheme homeowners can apply for very soon – it is to be hoped before Christmas. “I do not know if it is fair to put a 10% levy on each person who tries to undertake a building project, be it with concrete blocks or liquid poured concrete, over the coming months. “To me it seems that they are being burdened with a levy that the suppliers and manufacturers of these blocks should pay …

LEGISLATION underpinning the revised scheme for homeowners with defective blocks has passed all stages in the Seanad and will be signed by the President. The Bill was debated in the upper house of the Oireachtas last week and while 69 amendments were tabled, the legislation went through largely unchanged. Senator Timmy Dooley told the chamber that despite the work done to date, concerns remain for many, including members of the Clare Pyrite Action Group. Paying tribute to its members, he described Dr Martina Cleary and Mary Hanley as “two formidable women who have worked hard to put together a comprehensive response” to the Bill. “One of the main issues I hear about from Clare homeowners concerns the damage threshold, he told the Seanad. “There is a belief that it will determine who will be accepted under the scheme. As yet, that damage threshold has not been determined. People are worried that when regulations on this are set, 90% of applicants …