Dublin-style pyrite scheme proposed to finally tackle Mica crisis

Sinn Féin Councillor Jack Murray has urged the Government to replicate the successful Dublin and North Leinster Pyrite Remediation Scheme in Donegal, saying the county continues to face “the biggest crisis ever to impact” the region.

Speaking at this month’s plenary meeting of Donegal County Council, the Inishowen Councillor said that while more than 3,000 homeowners in the east of the country had benefited from a “fair, 100% state-managed redress scheme”, many families in Donegal are still unable to access meaningful support.

“The Pyrite scheme has been extremely successful,” he said. “It delivers 100% redress, overseen by the Housing Agency. Unfortunately, that stands in stark contrast to what’s happening in Donegal, where we still have a scheme that many people can't access.”

The Buncrana councillor said that while some Donegal homeowners have had their homes restored, many more are trapped in bureaucracy and financial strain. He called for an “end-to-end, state-managed scheme that incurs no cost on the homeowner because just like the people in Dublin and North Leinster, they're innocent victims of defective products that were of no fault of their own.”

The council has been asking the Department of Housing for four years for funding to repair the damage done to its housing stock by defective blocks, but a scheme to state-fund the remediations has not yet been approved. 

Michael McGarvey, Director of Water & Environment at Donegal County Council, agreed to follow up on the motion and write to Minister for Housing James Browne, seeking action on redress, appeals, and the inclusion of social housing in the defective concrete blocks scheme.

The letter to Minister Browne has been welcomed by Councillor Murray, who also sought an update on Donegal's defective social homes. Referring to Buncrana, he noted that several families were moved out of defective block homes almost four years ago.

“At the time, we believed the move would be temporary,” he said. “Those houses still lie empty while we face a housing crisis running in tandem with the defective block crisis. We’re building houses, but we’re also moving families from one place to another instead of reducing the housing list. If we had the funding, those homes would have been turned around long ago.”

North Inishowen Sinn Féin Councillor Albert Doherty seconded the motion, calling for the “urgent introduction of a genuinely 100% redress scheme”.

Cllr Doherty reminded the chamber that in September 2024, councillors were told a decision on social housing remediation was “imminent. We’re still waiting,” he said.

Marking the 11th anniversary of a 2014 council motion put forward by the Carndonagh Councillor seeking a Government redress scheme for mica-affected homeowners, Cllr Doherty reflected on the slow pace of progress.

“Eleven years on, we’re again looking at what has, and hasn’t, happened,” he said. “We are critical of the snail’s pace of delivery and of a process where some decisions made by housing engineers have been downgraded by the Housing Agency.”

READ NEXT: Urgent investment required to restore and retain Court Services across Donegal

Councillor Doherty highlighted serious delays in the appeals process. Applicants who lodged appeals in May 2024 received formal acknowledgement in October of last year, he said, but as of November 2025, they are still awaiting outcomes.

“We must emphasise that what is happening for homeowners in the Leinster area through the pilot remediation scheme is not happening for many applicants in Donegal,” he said. “There must be timely responses in the appeals process. We need to know why delays are occurring, and we need answers sooner rather than later.”