Donegal: Mica families to submit redress proposals to minister

A man from County Donegal who had to demolish his family home because of the mica scandal has said he and his family have shed tears over the mental and financial stress.

Thousands of homes in the Republic of Ireland have crumbled because of bricks made of pyrite and mica, which absorbs water, causing walls to crack.

Gary Breslin said people's mental health has been "hit hard big time".

On Friday, the families submitted proposals to the housing minister.

Among the proposals are that homeowners are given 100% redress and that all affected homeowners are included in the scheme.

In 2019, the government launched a fund to cover 90% of repair costs.

Homeowners were left to pay the remaining 10%. They must also pay outstanding mortgage costs on the home.

In counties Donegal and Mayo alone, up to 5,700 houses are falling apart. Government sources have said that figure could be much higher.

Mr Breslin had his house in Donegal for 15 years

Mr Breslin painted his house in Ludden, near Buncrana, County Donegal in 2014. He then started to notice large cracks appear.

After getting the brick tested it was confirmed that Mr Breslin's house was among thousands of others built with mica.

"It started to crumble really badly and some of the cracks were metres long," he told BBC Radio Foyle.

'Pot is running dry'

Mr Breslin said every time he went outside the cracks were getting bigger and that blocks were moving.

"We are now living in a mobile home because we had no choice but to knock our house down. It was incredibly sad and the kids found it devastating losing their rooms.

"I went to work and left my wife at home who was packing up all our memories. She was breaking down and finding it very tough."

• Redress fund approved for crumbling houses

• Donegal's crumbling houses to be repaired

The footings for Mr Breslin's new home are in place but it has been difficult financially.

"Everybody says I'm an upbeat person but behind closed doors I would shed a tear. We all do when we have a quiet moment to ourselves.

"The pot is running dry now as I look to pay an engineer and a contractor. People's mental health has been hit hard big time in Donegal with this.

"Sometimes I drive home and think where is my house? All I have now is a £140,000 hole."

Gary Breslin said his children found it difficult losing their rooms

Following years of campaigning by an action group, the Irish government approved a €20m (£17.2m) repair scheme in 2019.

But many homeowners now see the scheme as not fit for purpose, given it still requires homeowners to fund 10% of the repairs.

'A pastoral problem'

Church leaders on Thursday said there appeared to be a "disparity" in how victims were being treated.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle on Friday, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown said many within the church see this as a "pastoral problem for many of our parishes".

Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown says the thousands of crumbling homes in Ireland's north west is an "enormous scar" on the island

"We recognise the enormous affect this is having on families... we see this as a pastoral problem in one of the peripheral areas of the island.

"As we all know Donegal is connected to the rest of the Republic of Ireland by about two bridges and nothing else, and it can feel very much out on the edge.

"It's a rallying call from the people of the north west, which we are happy to support, to say to the government that something needs done about this enormous scar on the north west of Ireland," he said.

Bishop McKeown said people in the north west are facing a "bleak future at a time when things are stressful already" and said it is "essential some way forward is found".

Thousands took to the streets of Buncrana, County Donegal, in protest earlier this year

Mr Breslin described Donegal as "the forgotten county".

"If this was happening anywhere else in the world it would be sorted. It's an absolute scandal and it has been going on for too long.

"We want nothing less than 100% redress. It's what we deserve."

The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) said in June that everyone wanted to do the right thing but that compensating homeowners was complicated because of the range of issues they faced.

He said the Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien would take a fresh look at the existing scheme to see how it could be improved.

Michael Doherty, a spokesperson for the Mica Action Group, said the proposals handed into the housing minister on Friday "represents a culmination of many weeks of detailed discussions and research".

"Homeowners should not have to pay the price of government incompetence with unrelenting anxiety about safety, finances, the distress of seeing their home demolished and future homelessness.

"The government has the power to end this now, and the power to put in place meaningful governance to avoid another chapter of homeowners suffering needlessly."

A spokesperson for Donegal County Council said 458 applications have been made to date under the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.

"There are five remedial work options available under the scheme," the spokesperson said.

"Option one refers to demolition of the entire dwelling to foundation level and rebuild. 329 applications have received confirmation of eligibility under the scheme to date, of which 138 are in respect of option one."