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Pringle: Homeowners affected by defective blocks used electoral system to send a message to Government
- Updated: 11th June 2024
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said people affected by defective blocks have used the electoral system to send a message to Government, as he again pressed Government to deliver a 100% redress scheme that’s fit for purpose.
Addressing the Taoiseach in the Dáil today, Deputy Pringle said: “In Donegal, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have returned with only two thirds of the seats they won in 2019, with many of your sitting councillors scraping in on the last counts.
“The 100% Redress party topped the poll in the Carndonagh Electoral Area, which is Minister McConalogue’s backyard, and took four council seats in total. They are now a larger party than Fine Gael on the council.
“And there is a clear message for government here from the people of Donegal in relation to the Defective Block Redress Scheme.
“It is not working for the thousands of people that are living in crumbling homes across the constituency. They see no end to the saga. They see no future for their families and children. And they see no way out of the distress that is ruining their lives. They are a strong and stoic people, but they are at the end of their tether.
“They have told government over and over again why the scheme won’t work for them. Now they have used the electoral system to deliver their message. They have elected Ali Farren in Carndonagh, Joy Beard in Buncrana, Tomás Devine in Letterkenny and Denis McGee in Gweedore to reinforce their message.
“I’ve raised this issue over 50 times on the floor of this House during the term of this current Dáil, and each and every time, I and other opposition TDs from the county get the same old rhetoric from yourself and the Government.
“You quote figures. You tell me it’s the biggest scheme ever of its kind. You look at me dismissively, as if to say: ‘Sure that’s sorted, why are you bringing it up here again.’ But you don’t really listen. And you haven’t listened as we give voice to the real concerns that families have, living with defective blocks.
“Now you have a chance to do so,” he said.
The deputy said: “The scheme isn’t working. It doesn’t reflect the science that has emerged. Science that was driven by the defective block campaign themselves, not by government departments or the political system. It is failing the families across Donegal whose lives are devastated by defective blocks.
“The defective blocks crisis also affects community buildings, public buildings and everything built in the last 20 years in the county. Reflecting a failed self-certification system brought in by governments of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“You have a chance to fix this. My advice to you is that you should take it. Make a scheme that once and for all works to address the needs of all families in Donegal and indeed those across the country,” he said.
The deputy raised the issue during Leaders’ Questions.
Deputy Pringle said: “Will you once and for all address the failures of the Defective Block Redress Scheme and make a scheme that is fit for purpose?”
The deputy said the scheme does not meet the needs of very many people, saying there are people in their 50s and early 60s who are looking for up to €80,000 to have their homes redressed.
Deputy Pringle said: “And this is a 100% scheme? People are going to be paying 50, 60, 70, €80,000 to get into a 100% redress scheme. This doesn’t make sense.”
