The Government has today signed off a redress scheme for MICA homeowners.
A total of €40 million has been allocated for both MICA and Pyrite-effected from budget 2020.
Hundreds of homes are crumbling in Donegal and also some in Mayo but the majority are across Donegal.
Those hit by MICA across Donegal have met with Minister Joe McHugh today where he has released details of the plans.
Minister McHugh said he is delighted by the redress scheme plans.
He said “Today is a landmark day – I am announcing that regulations for the scheme to repair homes affected by Mica have been finalised and signed off by Government.
“The confirmation of the scheme is the culmination of huge effort and response to an exceptional problem and a deeply distressing legacy.
“In Government, Fine Gael committed to doing the right thing for affected homeowners. And we have lived up to that commitment, once again picking up the pieces for ordinary people.
“A number of people have been key to making this happen, not least An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar who recognised the need for a Government response.”
The Minister paid tribute to Fine Gael councillor Bernard McGuinness who, he said, first brought this crisis to public attention.
He said “He sat up and took notice before others and he deserves credit.
“And there are also the campaigners who put their faith in Fine Gael in Government to deliver. And we have – as we said we would in the Fine Gael manifesto.
“To mark the realisation of the scheme being finalised I went to a home in North Inishowen today, with members of the Mica Action Group, to an area where the problem was first discovered.
“The committee which has led the Group, including Eileen Doherty and Ann Owens, as well as other distressed homeowners, have shown tremendous determination and also deserve huge credit.
“My message is this – the realisation of the scheme shows the importance of having a Government minister working on behalf of the county and working to secure a resolution for ordinary people. I am delighted to be able to share the news with them. And it also shows the value of working with Government to get the right thing done.
“There has been considerable work on the regulations for the Mica scheme, led by the Attorney General Seamus Woulfe, and signed off by Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy.
“It has been a complex piece of work and the confirmation today will now allow Donegal County Council to take ownership of the administration of the scheme and set about assessing homes and helping homeowners to get them fixed and up to the standards they should always have been.”
