No confidence motion in Minister fails as Councillors clash over defective blocks scheme

Councillors at the June meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District clashed over a motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien on Tuesday.

The motion was tabled by Councillor Michael McBride and came on the same day that it emerged the revised defective concrete blocks scheme was delayed again.

Councillor McBride's motion was opposed by Councillor Ciaran Brogan, who successfully put forward a counter proposal in support of the Minister

“The whole Mica issue is very emotive and has caused a lot of people stress and worry,” Councillor Brogan said.

“We are working very hard and we have met with Darragh O'Brien and his team in Dublin. The reason that we don't have the guidelines is that we, the Fianna Fail Councillors and our Minister, Charlie McConalogue, have concerns.”

Councillor Kevin Bradley elected Mayor of Letterkenny

A proud Letterkenny man, Councillor Kevin Bradley took the chain of office from Councillor Donal 'Mandy' Kelly, whose late brother Manus was a good friend of the incoming Mayor

A series of cross-party meetings have been held recently and while the new defective blocks regulations were not in place on Wednesday, as had been expected, the Mica Action Group (MAG) say that they expect the commencement of the DCB Act and regulations to happen 'in the next few days or early next week'.

Councillor McBride said his motion was an 'unusual' one to take before a MD meeting.

“People are at their wits end,” he said. “In a few short months time, people will be going into another winter in houses that aren't fit for purpose or for living in. People living in houses that have defective blocks don't have time.

"When we wrote to the Minister to come to meet with us, I felt that the can was being kicked down the road – and that is proven to have been right. It is an absolute disgrace that we, the elected members, are walking through these people every day and we have no answers for them.

“I thought long and hard about the motion. I am doing this on behalf of the people who have MICA and other defective minerals in the blocks.

“We are living on promises – and the list is getting longer and longer.”

Councillor McBride people who are living in homes built with defective concrete blocks are 'absolutely desperate' and noted that the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce recently raised recruitment issues – blamed on the housing crisis – on a visit to Dáil Éireann.

The motion was supported by Councillor Gerry McMonagle.

“The Minister has not delivered for Donegal,” Councillor McMonagle said. “We are a rich country, yet we have 12,000 people homeless and thousands of families on the streets. We're taking in and supporting refugees – and rightly so – and some of those people are living in tents.”

Fianna Fail Councillor Ciaran Brogan tabled a counter proposal of confidence in the Housing Minister: 'We have confidence in Minister Darragh O'Brien and we will continue to work with the Council and its officials for a scheme that works for all of the homeowners'.

Councillor Ciaran Brogan.

Councillor Brogan said the motion of no confidence 'is not worth the paper it's written on. He said the guidelines were being held back 'because we are telling them to hold back'.

He said: “The motion may or may not get a headline, but that is all that it is. We don't have that power – that is a matter for the national parliament in Dáil Éireann. This sounds like playing the man before the ball when we need to stay focusses on the issue.”

Councillor Brogan noted the recent purchases of substantial land banks in Letterkenny, at Ballymacool and High Road, and noted that the Council had not applied for modular homes

Councillor Brogan said: “I think that we should have emergency accommodation for people who are in dire straights.

“We can have cheap political shots, but we need to be honest for the electorate. Some people may not be out there putting posts up on social media, but they are working very hard to shape policy for the homeowners. We need to keep at it together.”

Councillors John O'Donnell and Liam Blaney backed Councillor Brogan's counter proposal.

Councillor O'Donnell said: “The motion would carry no merit and it is only a formality. This would be the wrong message for a local Municipal District to send out.

“Darragh O'Brien is funding acquisitions and we're telling him that he's not fit for purpose. We need to be careful.”

In seconding the counter proposal by Councillor Brogan, Councillor Blaney said: “What is plan B? Take the Minister out of the equation and another Minister goes in: How long would it take to get them fully briefed? Something new is coming up all of the time.”

Councillor McBride pointed out that Councillors had met with then Housing Minister Damien English in Carndonagh in 2016.

“What has happened in the last seven years, I can't justify it,” he said. “People are living in houses being held together by iron bars. The Government has dragged its feet on Mica and that is why I have brought the motion.”

Councillor Brogan told the meeting that Donegal County Council has processed 1,300 applications at a cost of €14million.

He said: “Mica is too serious an issue to play politics with; it is like a cancer to some people.”

Councillor McMonagle said Sinn Fein and the Mica Action Group had made lengthy submission, but these had not been considered.

“We will see the colour of their money very shortly and we will see if there is one hundred per cent redress,” he said. “This is wider than Mica.”

Councillors Brogan and Blaney clashed with Councillor McMonagle. Councillor Brogan said Sinn Féin 'have yet to put forward a scheme' with Councillor Blaney adding: “Sinn Féin was asked what

and came up with nothing. Typical.”

Only Councillors McBride and McMonagle voted against the counter proposal meaning the no confidence motion fell by seven votes to two.