More Dublin mica protests a possibility

Mica campaigner Paddy Diver says he will set the date for another Dublin protest, if the Government does not fast track four key issues to help mica-affected homeowners.

Paddy Diver and the five other mica and pyrite community representatives are due to take part in the third meeting of the Defective Blocks Working Group today (July 14).

Speaking to Donegal Live in advance of the meeting, the Carndonagh man said: “I want definitive answers on four things on Wednesday. The Government needs to get rid of the upfront engineers' fees of €7,000, which are preventing people from getting on to the [Defective Concrete Blocks Grant] Scheme, and like-for-like planning permission for replacement houses.

“It also needs to give people assurances they are going to have suitable accommodation when they have to move out of their homes. In addition, a liaison office also needs to be established, to enable people who are not familiar with IT to access the Scheme.

“We have spelled it out to the Government in no uncertain terms that these four issues need to be fast tracked. I am going into the meeting on Wednesday and if they are not sorted out, well, the Government will have proved they are not taking this matter seriously.

“I am taking it so seriously because I think this winter could actually see a chimney fall down. I have told the Government that and I am not going to sit back and do nothing while they kick the can down the street. If it does not give us positive answers on Wednesday, I am setting a date for a protest in Dublin. The time for sitting back and doing nothing is over,” said Paddy Diver.

The mica and pyrite representatives are due to receive answers on the four key issues at today's Working Group meeting.

Paddy Diver added: “If the Government can't fast track them, I will be demanding that Minister Darragh O'Brien joins the group and attends all further meetings. He needs to take two hours per week for the mica homeowners of Donegal.

“I need somebody in those meetings who can say, 'Yes', when I ask a question. I do not have the time or the patience to listen to them saying, 'Wait another week' or being asked questions, backwards and forwards, by the Minister through a third party.

“If the Government had any respect for the people of Donegal, there would be somebody at the meeting who could make decisions.”

Turning to Friday's Donegal County Council Special Meeting on mica, Paddy Diver said: “I watched the full five and a half hours and if that's what they call a meeting, I don't know. To me, a meeting is, I ask a question and I get an answer.

“I believe there are many questions which mica-affected homeowners in Donegal need answered by Donegal County Council, as a matter of urgency.

“Personally, I believe Donegal County Council is partly responsible for causing the mica problem. It is the reason we are here today and the fact some people still can't get off the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme after nine months. This shows the Council needs help but it is not asking anyone for that help.

“I would like to know if all of the elected Councillors have confidence in the Council's Senior Management team [around the mica issue]?” said Paddy Diver.

Paddy Diver added he would also like Donegal County Council to make public the results of all of the independent testing it carried out on the stone, aggregate and concrete blocks, from Cassidy's quarry in Buncrana, from 2013 to the present day.

“For example,” asked Paddy Diver, “have any concrete blocks been taken away from the quarry and tested in the past six weeks?

“In addition, Donegal County Council received the Report of the Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks in 2017, which said: 'The Panel is of the opinion that the reason for the widespread pattern cracking in private dwellings in County Donegal is primarily due to the excessive amount of deleterious material (in the form of muscovite mica) in the aggregate used to manufacture the concrete blocks. This was a significant deviation from the Standards of the time.'

“If the concrete blocks were not fit for purpose, why did Donegal County Council not issue legal proceedings against Cassidy Brothers Concrete for supplying blocks to the Council's housing stock?

“And, when Cassidy's quarry was granted a 25 year extension to its planning permission in December 2019, what was meant in the (19/51534) Planner's Report and Recommendation, where it said: 'There is no objection in principle to the proposed continued use of a natural resource, which provides an important contribution to the economic development of the county and does not otherwise present any additional significant concerns in this regard'? How can a quarry be said to make an “important contribution” if houses are crumbling because it provided blocks which were not fit for purpose?” said Paddy Diver.

Mr Diver said the claim in the Planners Report and Recommendation was an “extremely serious” assertion.

“Especially when Cassidy's has caused the problem we are facing today,” said Paddy Diver, “and the Council has caused the problem by not regulating the quarry. It is very simple. The homeowners are being left to carry the can and the homeowners have done nothing wrong.

“Donegal County Council had a job to do for the Government and it did not do the job and somebody needs to be held accountable. We are going to be left homeless because of a Council that didn't do its job.

“It is completely crazy that the Council visited the quarry and asked Cassidy's for the certificates. We do not even know 100% if the certificates were for stone from that quarry.

“The Council had this problem in front of it since 2011 and did nothing about it. Since 2013 it did nothing about it. And now, we are here today losing our homes, because of our Council and Government. An inspection was carried out in Cassidy's quarry on September 15, 2020. A report was issued on November 24, 2020, which 18 non compliance issues. A warning letter was then sent to Cassidy's. Four weeks later, no enforcement notice was issued, even to this day, no enforcement
notice has been issued. That is completely scandalous,” concluded Paddy Diver.