Pearse Doherty: Upfront grant payments a must for defective concrete block homeowners

Pearse Doherty has called for the Defective Concrete Block Grant Scheme to be changed to provide upfront grant payments to homeowners.

Deputy Doherty, the Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, has hit out with some homeowners forced to take out bank or credit union loans in order to start remediation works.

“Homeowners have been badly let down by the failing defective concrete blocks redress scheme but are trying to engage with the scheme as it exists in order to rebuild their homes and lives,” Deputy Doherty said.

The Donegal Deputy raised the matter at a meeting last week with Minister for Finance Michael McGrath and Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien.

Deputy Doherty raised funding shortfalls and what he called 'the critical issue of mortgage-ability of these properties'.

Deputy Doherty said: “It is now over six months since the banking industry sent a proposal to the department for a bridging finance product to resolve this issue with no decision made by government.

“This is ridiculous – but it should not even be necessary.

“Last week I asked the Minister for Housing to change the scheme and provide upfront grant payments so that these funding shortfalls can be addressed and homeowners can begin remediation works.

“The Minister refused to commit to this call – this is despite the fact that the Department of Finance raised this option to his Department in November in documents I received through Freedom of Information.”

Deputy Doherty hit out at Minister O'Brien, who he said 'has his head in the sand'.

He said: “A meeting of the Implementation Steering Group - which includes all stakeholders including affected homeowners was due to meet in February – was due to take place in February but was cancelled by the Department, with no meeting taking place since.

“These meetings are crucial and must be guaranteed to take place at least once a month to resolve this and other outstanding issues once and for all.”