Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
The defective concrete blocks crisis is a key issue in the general election in Donegal
The 100% Redress Party has hit out at comments made by Donegal TD and agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue about the defective concrete blocks grant scheme.
The party’s general election candidate Charles Ward has accused the Fianna Fáil inishowen-based TD of being misleading when he said homeowners are now entitled to claim €495,000.
Mr Ward said the comments have “caused widespread outrage among homeowners affected by defective concrete blocks”.
“The minister’s figures are misleading and do nothing but exacerbate the trauma and frustration felt by those affected,” he said.
“The €495,000 figure used by the minister ignores the per-square-metre rate and includes the SEAI grant, which is separate from the scheme. To make matters worse, this figure also fails to account for homeowners who have already reached their grant cap.”
Mr McConalogue’s comments were made in the Tirconaill Tribune newspaper where he said there has been “real progress in the scheme”.
“I can stand over my own position and the party's record on Mica redress,” he said.
“There has been real progress in the scheme where homeowners are now entitled to claim €495,000. That is a big improvement…That is a lot of money. And if more needs to be done and if flaws are identified I will move to have those issues rectified.”
He said he has played a lead role in the Cabinet to get the cap on funding increased by 10% and to achieve an 8% increase per square foot.
“I do not have any problem defending my time in government. I agree that this has been a very difficult time for many families but now I really do believe we have turned a corner and getting more applications processed faster is a top priority for me.”
READ NEXT: General Election: Battle awaits as Donegal's Dáil seats up for grabs
Mr Ward went on to say the comments were “an insult to the families who have already suffered for years”.
“The €495,000 figure is part of a false narrative that distracts from the scheme’s abysmal failure to deliver real solutions.”
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
