Tag Archives: Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme

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, …

HARSH criticism was levelled at the Taoiseach over his response to Clare TDs when they asked him about this county’s access to the defective blocks grant scheme. A meeting in Ennis last Friday (December 3), of those affected by pyrite, was told Deputies Joe Carey and Cathal Crowe had been “dismissed” and “insulted” by Micheál Martin. Vice-chair of the Clare Pyrite Action Group, Mary Hanley said the Taoiseach’s response to questions about the revised defective blocks grant scheme, which makes no mention of this county, was also an insult to homeowners here. The retired school principal from Drumline, who showed her home to Minister Darragh O’Brien in August, said: “Basically, the Taoiseach dismissed Joe and Cathal. He was rude. He didn’t give a continental about us. … He was so dismissive. It really insulted me. … It was an insult to you, Cathal and to Joe. “As far as I’m concerned, ye are doing as much as ye can. If …

A ‘safe homes for Christmas’ protest is to be held, later this month in South East Clare, by those affected by pyrite. An emotional meeting in Ennis last night (Friday, Dec 3) heard the frustration of members of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG), as delays continue in the assessment of their application for State redress. While the updated terms of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme were unveiled on Tuesday, there was no indication of when the fund will be extended beyond Mayo and Donegal. The Department continues to query technical aspects of a report submitted by the council in July and a letter clarifying the full requirements is expected to issue on Monday. Against that backdrop, founder of the CPAG, Dr Martina Cleary told the meeting there is now no alternative but to take to the streets. “This will be an ‘all we want for Christmas is a safe home’ march,” she said. “We need you to come …

Minister awaiting clarification around Council application before confirming access to defective blocks scheme THE Housing Minister has said he expects the scheme for homes with defective blocks to be extended to Clare, once queries over a county council application are dealt with. Responding to a query from Deputy Joe Carey, Minister Darragh O’Brien outlined the communications between his department and the local authority on the matter. “We received a submission from the local authority in July requesting an extension of the defective block grant scheme to County Clare,” he outlined. “We issued a response on August 3 indicating we would review the submission and we did so. We saw details of a breakdown of costs associated with the report on September 28. “A number of issues arose, none of them insurmountable. It is standard that clarification is needed. “I have been directly involved with regard to the submission on Clare. In this regard, I asked my officials to deal with …

CLARE’S Fianna Fail TD has insisted that the Minister for Housing remains “committed in principle” to extending the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme to this county. Deputy Cathal Crowe also reaffirmed his belief that this will happen before Christmas. “I can’t see why the announcement can’t be made on the very same day the minister launches the updated grant scheme,” he said. “I’ve met and spoken by phone to Minister O’Brien a number of times since September and he’s confident there won’t be any delays.” Deputy Crowe’s comments come after further confirmation that the Department of Housing is to query the county council’s application to access the grant scheme. Last week, a written response was sent by the Department to Deputy Joe Carey. In recent days, Deputy Crowe received a formal reply from the housing minister, confirming that aspects of the council’s report on defective blocks in Clare are to be probed. The Fianna Fail TD was told by the …

FURTHER delays in giving Clare homeowners access to the grant scheme for defective blocks have been strongly condemned by the founder of The Clare Pyrite Action Group. There were conflicting reports, at a recent public meeting, on whether and when the Department of Housing had raised queries with the council, over its application to access to the scheme. The Department has now clarified to Deputy Joe Carey and to The Champion that it is to contact the council “shortly” about the report it submitted in June. Given the Minister gave an assurance, on his Clare visit in August, that a decision would be made in a matter of weeks, the delay has provoked anger. “This is disgraceful carry on,” Dr Martina Cleary said. “Bureaucracy is being used to drag out people’s suffering. This obfuscation is unacceptable, and the council’s application is being pushed from pillar to post. It’s an utter joke and they think people are stupid enough to believe …

“STRESS, strain and mental anguish” were among the words used by Clare’s Sinn Fein member to describe the situation faced by the owners of homes with pyrite. Deputy Violet Anne Wynne, along with fellow Clare Oireachtas members, expressed solidarity and support for the up to 80 members of the Clare Pyrite Action Group who gathered in Treacy’s West County Hote. “This is not just about buildings,” she said, calling for Clare to be given immediate access to the grant scheme for home remediation. It’s the nightmare of living with constant uncertainty.” Her words were echoed by all of Clare’s Oireachtas members, as well as Deputy Michael McNamara, who could not attend, but who sent a statement of support. Deputy Joe Carey outlined how he had just visited a home in Newmarket-on-Fergus which had tested positive for pyrite. “That house was built in 1989 and cracks only started to appear two years ago,” he told the meeting. That family is just …

Council says that it has received no correspondence from Department of Housing GOVERNMENT officials have been accused of “playing a little bit of jiggery pokery” over the decision on giving Clare homeowners access to the defective blocks grant. Alarm was expressed at a meeting in Ennis between politicians and the Clare Pyrite Action Group, over differing accounts on the status of the council’s application to access the grant. Two Oireachtas members, who spoke to the Housing Minister ahead of the meeting, said he told them his Department is waiting for a response to queries about the report the council submitted in July. The meeting was also told that the Council had received no such correspondence, as of Friday. As of this Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Council told The Champion that no queries have yet been received. At Friday’s meeting, Deputy Joe Carey outlined how the Minister Darragh O’Brien had told him his department has raised queries with the Council. …