Government urged to act as defective block homeowners cannot find alternative accommodation

The Minister for Housing has been urged to intervene and ensure that the Housing Agency and Donegal County Council are given the resources to assist families who must move out of their homes in the county for safety reasons due to the impact of defective concrete blocks to find temporary alternative accommodation.

Under the updated Remediation of Dwellings with Defective Blocks Scheme, homeowners are allocated €15,000 to relocate their families while their homes are being rebuilt.

However, numerous families have not been accepted on to the scheme.

Donegal TD Padráig Mac Lochlainn described the ongoing defective block issue as a "humanitarian crisis" and urged the Government to act.

"A growing number of families in Donegal, living in defective block homes, are being forced to live in dangerous homes because they just can’t find or afford temporary alternative accommodation," Deputy Mac Lochlainn said.

"This is unacceptable and the government must act urgently. The Housing Agency have assisted hundreds of families in Dublin and North Leinster to find alternative accommodation while their homes were being repaired under the Pyrite Remediation Scheme.

"Why have the Housing Agency not been tasked with helping our families in Donegal?”

He continued: “I am calling on the Minister for Housing to urgently task the Housing Agency and Donegal County Council with assisting the affected families in Donegal to find temporary alternative accommodation in the private sector or by building temporary homes with new build technologies (modular housing) at locations across Donegal.

"The problem is that there are many families that need to relocate now but they haven’t been accepted on to the scheme. They need urgent help and the Minister must act now.”