Donegal's crumbling houses to be repaired

Houses across Donegal and Mayo have been crumbling due to blocks containing high levels of the mineral Mica

The Irish government has committed to assessing and repairing crumbling houses across County Donegal after years of campaigning.

Houses across counties Donegal and Mayo have been crumbling over the years because of blocks containing high levels of the mineral Mica.

Mica absorbs water which can cause walls to crack.

Hundreds of people have been campaigning for answers and thousands of houses could be affected.

An expert panel was set up in 2016 to investigate the problems.

It is not clear at this stage how much the assessment and repair work will cost.

'A long road'

Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh was joined at a cabinet meeting in Dublin on Tuesday by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy.

Mr Murphy reported to ministerial colleagues on the potential scale of a programme.

"The putting in place of such a scheme will now be a key priority for my department, with funding to be available from next year," said Mr Murphy.

Mr McHugh said it had been a "long road for the many families living with this scandal".

"In early September, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stood in the kitchen of a Mica-affected family home near Buncrana and told them that a state-funded repair scheme was only fair," he said.

"Today's decision at cabinet is living up to that commitment. Work will start immediately on the design of the scheme."

Mica absorbs water which can cause walls to crack

Further details of the scheme are to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

'Finally listened to'

A number of suppliers were used in the building of the houses in Donegal and Mayo.

A Donegal masonry supplier apologised in August for not speaking out sooner about the situation.

The Mica Action Group, set up by affected homeowners, has welcomed the statement from the Irish government.

Ann Owens told BBC News NI it was the day they had been waiting for.

"This is what we have fought long and hard for from the government over the last eight years," she said.

"We were finally listened to and homeowners can now get the homes that they bought and paid for.

"We are not going away until every home is fixed and we intend to keep our promise."