Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland bishops, and a leading Presbyterian clergyman, have urged the Irish Government to offer complete and immediate redress to the thousands of people whose homes have been affected by the mica/pyrite crisis. Numerous family homes have been seriously damaged because defective building blocks were used in their construction.
Their calls come after the Government announced that it would only be covering 90% the rebuild and repairs costs facing thousands of homeowners in Donegal and parts of Connacht and Munster. In their statement, the Irish Church leaders expressed their support for a full and unconditional redress scheme to be offered to those who are attempting to live with the consequences of insufficient building blocks.
“There appears to be a disparity in the way people in our region are being treated compared to those elsewhere”, the Church leaders exclaimed, “homeowners in Leinster were awarded 100% redress for the pyrite problems there. The citizens of Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick deserve no less. This is a matter of fairness, justice and compassion”.
In addition to the Church leaders’ support for a 100% redress to be made available to those affected, they also submitted a framework which they believe should be used throughout the duration of the proceedings and makes provisions for a 40-year, state-backed scheme, which guarantees full redress in the event of future problems.
The Church leaders warned that the “basic need for good housing seems peripheral to the agenda of our political leaders”. “There may come a time for assigning responsibility for what has happened. One thing is certain, though: the homeowners are not to blame”.
