Speaking following the long delayed publication of the”Report Of The Expert Panel On Concrete Blocks”, Donegal Sinn Féin Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has stated that there can be no more delays and that the Government must immediately move to establish a Redress Scheme for the affected families.
Senator Mac Lochlainn welcomed the eight key recommendations from the report.
He said: “This report has been published a year later than scheduled. That’s another year of waiting and in many cases, despair for the affected families.
“While my party and I have criticised the limited terms of reference from Government for this report, we welcome the Expert Panel’s findings and in particular their eight key recommendations. It is now absolutely clear that poor regulation and building controls by the State profoundly failed thousands of Donegal families. Therefore the State and the Government must immediately move to put in place a Redress Scheme for the affected families.
“There is also a need to implement all of the panel’s recommendations as they pertain to improving building controls and standards across the State. We have to learn from the mistakes of the past, particularly during the building boom years where homes were fired up with little or no oversight from the State authorities as is the case in most other EU jurisdictions.
“The building of a family home is the single biggest financial commitment of so many people’s lives. It can take decades to repay a mortgage. To meet this huge responsibility is surely more than enough without the heartbreak of their homes falling apart in the process. This must never be allowed to happen again.
“Here in Donegal, I commend the campaigning Mica Action Group and the elected members of Donegal County Council, in particular, my colleague, Cllr Albert Doherty for their determined efforts. The battle for justice continues”.
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