‘40 per cent of impacted homeowners are living with severe depression’

Deputy Charles Ward has told the Dáil that 40 per cent of homeowners impacted by the defective concrete crisis are living with severe depression, during Leaders’ Questions today.

“The Defective Concrete Scandal is a national emergency, that the Government has willfully mismanaged for over a decade,” said Deputy Ward. “The Government has worked hard to fool the public, to portray that we are being looked after, the truth is that we are now on a second failed scheme.”

Deputy Ward stated that his staff see suicidal ideation every week due to the uncertainty and feeling of abandonment that this crisis has caused. He criticised unethical engineering practices, the fact that there is still no timeline for when IS465 will be reviewed, and that legislation for retrospective payments has still not been published since the grant amount was increased almost a year ago, despite Minister Browne claiming it would be prioritised in June.

The 100% Redress Party TD asked Minister Jim O’Callaghan if the Government would use its powers under the Public Service Management Act, 1997 to immediately issue ministerial guidance to the Housing Agency to stop issuing partial fixes, and ensure full remediation for all affected families.

He also asked when the Government would pass legislation to ensure that all homeowners receive the uplift in rates and cap retrospectively, and urged the government to direct the Housing Agency to reinstate the original engineering recommendations for full demolition.

“We need to stop this madness of partial fixes that have no basis in science or safety,” said Deputy Ward. “The government wrote the legislation in full knowledge of the obstacles it would present to accessing the scheme, and continues to hide behind it. Under Irish law, the Government can declare a national emergency, issue ministerial guidance, and fast-track legislation to address this crisis.

“The legal framework is there, but the will to act is missing. People are suffering literally dying while this Government runs down the clock and delays.”

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In response, Minister O’Callaghan referred to the option to homeowners of a technical review, as well as the appeals panel, and said that the retrospective payments legislation will be introduced as a priority.