Mica campaigners postpone council office occupation

A planned protest by defective block redress campaigners will not be going ahead in Carndonagh today.

Campaigners were set to occupy the Public Services Centre in the north Inishowen town this afternoon.

100% Redress No Less campaigner Paddy Diver said the planned 'sit-in' has been postponed because the offices have been closed.

The decision to occupy a public building was taken after weeks of mounting frustration on the part of campaigners calling for more urgency from Donegal County Council and the Department of Housing to deal with the worst cases of homeowners living in unsafe homes. Around 300 protesters staged a demonstration at the council’s headquarters in Lifford last week.

Meanwhile, a series of meetings was held yesterday between the Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, Donegal County Council and the Mica Action Group (MAG).

MAG chairperson Lisa Hone said despite a "willingness", no assurances were given by the Minister.

A number of topics were discussed including the need for emergency alternative accommodation, the release of the storage and accommodation allowance, the fast tracking of applications for those worst affected, the release of engineers test fees and the formulation of a plan going forward were all discussed.

Ms Hone said: “There's a hell of a lot of work to be done on all of these fronts that need to be addressed very urgently to get people out of this unsatisfactory and in some cases very desperate situations.”

In the meeting between Donegal County Council and Minister O'Brien a number of motions submitted by elected members on a range of issues pertaining to defective concrete blocks were discussed.

The motions related to the enhanced scheme, temporary modular housing and an emergency fund to deal with a number of urgent cases.

The Minister indicated last month that he would meet with a delegation from the Council in order to discuss the motions.

The meeting was constructive, and the delegation highlighted concerns in relation to a number of families who require immediate emergency assistance.

In particular, the delegation emphasised the need for the €15,000 grant that is planned under the enhanced scheme for alternative accommodation to be made available urgently for these families.

The Minister indicated that he was anxious to find a solution to this issue, and it was agreed that there would be further clarification very soon. It was also agreed that there would be further discussions on modular homes.

The Minister welcomed the fact that Stage 1 applications are now progressing since his Department issued clarifications to the Council on the decision making parameters, and noted that the Council has already approved 54 applications since the clarification was issued.

It was also noted that where it was not possible for the Council to approve applications, that they would be referred to the Housing Agency for determination.

The Minister confirmed that the regulations for the enhanced scheme would be drafted by January, and that he also planned to facilitate payment of stage 1 fees to applicants who have made application since February 2022, as quickly as practically possible.

The delegation highlighted the particular urgency of the families requiring emergency assistance, and the Minister indicated that there would be further engagement very shortly in this regard.