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15th Jun 2021

Motion for 100% Mica redress scheme agreed by the Dáil

Stephen Porzio

Two amendments to the motion were adopted, including one calling for a public investigation into the Mica scandal.

A Sinn Féin motion supporting a 100% redress scheme for homeowners affected by the Mica scandal has been agreed in the Dáil.

Earlier on Tuesday, thousands of people from Donegal, Mayo, and Clare gathered in Dublin city centre to demand the 100% redress scheme.

Campaigners estimate that “anything from 5,000 to tens of thousands” of homes are falling apart in these counties due to the presence of high levels of mica – a mineral that causes interior and exterior walls to crack, resulting in significant health and safety issues.

Under the current Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme put in place last year, the government will cover 90% of repair costs, leaving homeowners to foot the bill for the remaining 10%.

In order to qualify, homeowners must pay for two tests, costing upwards of €5,000, to determine the presence of mica – a huge financial burden for many families.

Protesters gathered outside The Convention Centre at Spencer Dock before marching to Leinster House.

Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday before the motion was agreed, Sinn Féin’s Rose Conway-Walsh said: “I know that the people today were very polite and they were mannerly as the people in the northwest are but please don’t mistake that for weakness.

“Because something has happened within the West and the unity within the West that we are not taking this anymore.”

She added: “We need to go out of here this week to assure the people of Mayo, Donegal and Sligo and Clare and Limerick that they are going to get 100% redress.

“It is not only the houses that are crumbling, it is people’s lives.”

Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin also said: “Anybody who thought asking a family to pay €7,000 for an engineer’s report to get entry to a scheme didn’t understand the scale of the problem.

“These families should not have to pay for defects that they didn’t create.”

Two amendments to the motion were adopted, one of which was from Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín who called for a public investigation into the Mica scandal.

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