Midlands-North West MEP Luke “Ming” Flanagan has made calls on Government MEPs to apologise to defective block homeowners in Donegal.
His statement comes after politicians from across Europe, organised by the European Parliament’s Left Group have been in Donegal this week assessing the extent of the defective blocks crisis first-hand.
Flanagan has criticised comments made by Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey prior to the visit, after he said that it was “quite significant” that politicians from Europe were visiting, saying also that “the EU is listening”.
In response, in a statement made today Flanagan said that:
“It’s quite significant alright. The reason they are here in the first place is because those people affected were not listened to and are still not being listened to by his government. This is the very reason I along with colleagues from the Left Group in the European Parliament organised this mission. The very reason why I suggested to the campaigners in the first place that they should petition the European Parliament’s PETI committee.”
“For three days MEPs have met with those families affected. They have sat in destroyed kitchens. They have stood in mouldy and damp bedrooms. They have listened to their stories. Stories laced with sheer frustration. Frustration that this happened in the first place. Frustration at what is an impossible puzzle of a redress scheme. Frustration and despair that this is still happening to this very day. Frustration at local and national government for a complete and utter failure to carry out market surveillance of construction products. A failure to properly implement a European regulation on Market Surveillance.”
He has also demanded that the two Fine Gael MEPs who have been present during the European Parliament should offer an apology to all those affected by the defective blocks crisis.
“We heard many things throughout the three day mission. But one thing we didn’t hear from the two Fine Gael MEPs present, was an apology. An apology for the hell that their government has created for these people. When I first heard that Fine Gael MEPs would be attending I was surprised to say the least. Given that the only reason the event needed to be held in the first place was because Fine Gael has let people down for years.”
“Another reason why I was surprised to hear MEP Markey’s comments was because those attending had been requested not to speak to the press in advance of the mission. We were given clear rules to abide by. The PETI secretariat had requested that only the chair should talk to the press until the mission was over. They clearly state that ‘all members of the delegation should agree on any press statement made on behalf of the delegation prior to their publication”. The PETI committee came here as a result of a request I made through my group. It was a long shot that it would ever happen. Months of work went into convincing MEPs to come. Work that MEP Markey had no involvement in until his last minute request to attend”, according to Flanagan.
He continued, “his rush to claim some sort of credit for this event was not only disingenuous but also could have prevented it from happening due to his breach of Parliaments protocols. The reality is that it would have suited MEP Markey far more if this event had never taken place. It has only happened because citizens of this country were not getting justice at home.”
“Now that the mission is completed the committee has the information that it needs to write a report which will help unlock people from the prison of despair that they have been put in. Particular thanks must be given to the PETI committee Chair Delores Montserrat MEP. Without her attendance this mission would not have taken place.”
