Only 5 homes remediated under Pyrite Scheme – O’Brien
Published on: 08 April 2015
Fianna Fáil has revealed that only 5 homes out of the thousands that are riddled with pyrite across the country have been fixed under the Pyrite Remediation Scheme.
The number was confirmed by the Minister for Housing Paudie Coffey in response to a Parliamentary Question from Fianna Fáil. A total of 630 households have applied under the scheme since the beginning of last year and less than half of these been accepted. So far only 5 homes in total have been remediated.
Fianna Fáil’s Spokesperson on Dublin Senator Darragh O’Brien has said it’s further proof that the Pyrite Remediation Scheme is grossly inadequate.
“There are thousands of homes in Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Offaly and across the east coast that are riddled with pyrite. It is crazy that we are now in the second year of the remediation scheme and you can count on one hand the number of homes that have been remediated,” said Senator O’Brien.
“This means that many families whose homes are literally falling apart with pyrite have yet to receive any support whatsoever from the State. They are being expected to live indefinitely in totally inadequate and hazardous conditions. These people have waited far too long for help from the State. And now they are finding that the remediation scheme that was supposed to address their problems is totally inadequate.
“Thousands of other home homeowners are stuck in limbo. Their homes have pyrite but this scheme as it stands will not address their problems. This is completely unacceptable.
“I have raised concerns all along that this scheme is far too limited. It only addresses the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the extent of the pyrite problems in thousands of homes across the east coast. The Pyrite Remediation Board has its hands tied by extremely limited legislation and resources. Despite the hard work and best efforts of staff, they are powerless to offer the kind of support that is needed to the homes affected.
“Fianna Fáil has committed to expanding the Pyrite Remediation Scheme so that all homeowners affected by pyrite can have their homes fixed should their insurers not pay. We flagged this issue when the scheme was first proposed and we submitted a series of amendments to the legislation, all of which were rejected by Fine Gael and Labour. We also published a Pyrite Remediation Bill to expand the scheme in 2012 and this was also ignored by Government. Now that these stark figures clearly confirm the concerns that we have raised all along, it’s time for the Government to realise their mistake.
“The Government needs to wake up and recognise the fact that the scheme in its current form is totally inadequate. The figures speak for themselves. What we need now is a much more comprehensive plan with a realistic assessment of the number of homes that are damaged by pyrite. Once again, I am calling on the Government to accept Fianna Fáil’s proposals to extend the scheme to allow all homeowners affected by pyrite to have their homes fixed. It also must be extended to include reimbursement for families who have been forced to pay for repairs themselves.”