Pyrite scheme delay is criticised

THE Government has been urged to expedite work on repairing thousands of homes affected by pyrite.

Last week it was revealed that only five homes have been fixed under the Pyrite Remediation Scheme announced more than a year ago.

However, the Department of the Environment insists that progress is being made on a number of projects that are currently going through various stages of the process.

Through a Parliamentary Question, Fianna Fáil had asked the Department how many homes were remediated under the scheme in 2014 and so far in 2015.

MInister for Housing Paudie Coffey confirmed that 630 households applied under the sheme since the beginning of last year.

Minister Coffey said that since the scheme was established in February 2014 the Pyrite Resolution Board (PRB) have received:

?¢ 630 completed applications.

?¢ 485 applications have been validated and forwarded to the Housing Agency for the verification stage.

?¢ 300 of those have now been approved by the PRB for inclusion in the scheme and applicants have been notified, and

?¢ Applications for dwellings not yet included in the scheme are being processed as quickly as possible.

Minister Coffey said design professionals have been appointed to 12 projects involving some 255 dwellings.

“A pilot project involving the remediation of five dwellings was completed in the latter half of 2014,

? he stated.

“I understand that a works contract for 20 houses has recently been awarded and works commenced last week, while a number of procurements in relation to a further four developments involving some 74 dwellings are nearing contract stage.

?

Senator Darragh O’Brien (FF), who will contest the general election in the Dublin Fingal constituency, was critical of the response.

“It is crazy that we are now in the second year of the remediation scheme and you can count on one hand the number of homes that have been remediated,

? he said.

“This means that many families whose homes are literally falling apart with pyrite have yet to receive any support whatsoever from the State.

“They are being expected to live indefinitely in totally inadequate and hazardous conditions.

“These people have waited far too long for help from the State.

“And now they are finding that the remediation scheme that was supposed to address their problems is totally inadequate.

?

Senator O’Brien said he raised concerns all along that the scheme

“is far too limited

?.

“It only addresses the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the extent of the pyrite problems in thousands of homes across the east coast,

? he argued.

“The Pyrite Remediation Board has its hands tied by extremely limited legislation and resources. Despite the hard work and best efforts of staff, they are powerless to offer the kind of support that is needed to the homes affected.

?

Pyrite, a naturally occurring mineral, can potentially cause significant structural damage to homes if used in the infill below floor slabs.

Thousands of homes across the Northside and other counties, including Meath and Kildare, have been badly affected by the pyrite issue.