Government ’committed’ to resourcing local authorities for DCB social housing scheme - Donegal Daily

The Government has said it is ’committed’ to ensuring local authorities are resourced as the Defective Concrete Blocks Social Housing Scheme moves forward.Minis...

The Government has said it is 'committed' to ensuring local authorities are resourced as the Defective Concrete Blocks Social Housing Scheme moves forward.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, gave the commitment during the Seanad debate on the remediation scheme.

The motion backing the remediation of social homes impacted by defective concrete was subsequently passed by the Seanad.

Deputy O'Sullivan said the scheme was a 'very important commitment by the Government.'

He added: "People have been through hell, whether they live in private homes or social homes.

"We are now getting to a stage where we are starting to release that pressure valve and give people a bit of hope that, at the end of this process, they can once again live in safe, secure, high-standard, quality homes."

Deputy O'Sullivan noted how concerns had been raised about the 'institutional capacity of the local authorities in particular to manage and implement this scheme. '

"The Department has for some time supported additional staffing resources where needed in the relevant councils and remains committed to doing so where appropriate as the scheme moves forward quickly into implementation.

Senator Joe Flaherty said that anyone who has been to Donegal and 'witnessed the turmoil, chaos and absolute heartache this has caused, knew that this was an issue that had to be addressed.'

"We have come on a long journey. I concede we are not all the way there, but this is an important plank in addressing it and being a full amelioration of what was a nightmare scenario.

"I know lives, marriages and relationships were lost over this in Donegal. I was up there at the time of the Seanad election with Councillor Martin McDermott and saw the absolute chaos."

He continued: "The spectrum of it was frightening to behold and it commanded a strong Government response. We are getting there."

Sen Flaherty stressed how all local authorities, particularly housing departments, are 'working under huge pressure.'

"I would not like the roll-out of the scheme to be held up through staffing issues, be they in the Department or in local authorities."

He added how 'additional significant improvements' to the scheme had been brought forward by the Minister, which are having 'an impact and real progress is being made'.

Sen Flaherty also raised the issue of tenant purchase and those who wish to buy their local authority home.

"The rules currently governing tenant purchase should be relaxed for these houses on the basis that there has been a gap in time where people would ordinarily have bought their house, but they were obviously not going to buy out a mica-affected house.

"However, once these houses are ameliorated and put back right, there should be a retrospective opportunity for people to buy out those houses."

Senator Victor Boynan welcomed and acknowledged Deputy Charles Ward for 'his sterling work on this.'

He also acknowledged Councillors Joy Beard, Denis McGee, Ali Farren and Tomás Seán Devine of the 100% Redress party

Sen Boynan said he did not draw any distinction between social and private homes.

"All should be of equal standard. All equal issues in terms of redress should be across the board."

Sen Boynan said councils and approved housing bodies (AHBs) are facing an 'enormous additional workload' and said there must be continued engagement on this with the Government.

He highlighted how city and county managers have expressed concerns in relation to funding shortfalls and capacity to approve landfill facilities.

Sen Boynan told how he fully supported the Government's motion.

"We have to get forward, and the key message has to be constant monitoring, constant appraisal, constant communication and getting people back living in their homes of choice appropriate to their needs in their communities and moving on."

Senator Mark Duffy said the motion was 'another step in the right direction'.

"It should not matter whether it is a social home or a private home.

"People deserve adequate housing, a roof over their head and adequate conditions, whether they are elderly and retiring or a young family.

"They all require a proper and acceptable standard of living and dignity."

He said he, too, would welcome 'the resourcing of local authorities to deal with schemes swiftly in order to keep things moving along at an expedited pace'.

He said he'd also welcome engagement with contractors 'to make sure that there are common-sense solutions on the ground and that the response is at speed and at scale."

Sen Joanne Collins said Sinn Fein was not opposing the motion, but think it has been 'approached in the wrong way'.

"The problem is that it just does not seem like the Government will 100% fund this.

She continued: "The shocking thing I heard was that the walls were tested but the foundation was not.

"If there is an issue with the foundation, the foundation needs to be tested and sorted and the house needs to be knocked or whatever has to happen."

Senator Nessa Cosgrove paid tribute to Deputy Ward who gave her an 'awful lot of time explaining things in a very humble and generous way.'

"Local authorities like Donegal County Council have spent scarce resources on this. As has been pointed out, the concrete does not care who owns the home, be it a social home or a private home."

"It makes no sense to rebuild a property on potentially compromised foundations and leave the State to carry possible future risk."

She also stated that a 'proper temporary accommodation plan must be in place before large-scale works begin.'

"Tenants need to be given a guarantee that once the remediation work has been done, they can return to their homes."

She added that consideration must also be given to the use of modular homes.

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Sen Eileen Flynn said the social housing scheme 'represents a long overdue acknowledgment of a real injustice to families'.

She also highlighted how there are more than '25 childcare facilities in Donegal - the ones we know of - impacted by defective concrete.'

She invited the Minister of State to visit an impacted creche in Ardara.

Sen Ward highlighted how those who bought their homes are 'getting a redress scheme' and 'rightly so'.

"Deputy Ward and the county councillors worked very hard on redress. There is no redress for social housing and Traveller accommodation in Donegal, crèches and some of the schools.

"What is the Department going to do with the education facilities that are impacted by mica?

"If this was in Dublin, it would be seen as a crisis. Since it is rural Donegal, it is not seen as a crisis.

"We have got a housing crisis not only in Dublin but in Donegal, too.

"Social housing and council housing in Donegal did not even get a proper look in when it came to redress, and some of the Traveller accommodation in Donegal is impacted by mica as well."

Sen Flynn said she looked forward to 'some of the Minister of State’s feedback around social housing, the Traveller accommodation and, most importantly right now for me as a working mother, the safety of my children and other children in the crèche in Ardara.'

Senator Niall Blaney said it was 'great that we are getting another further step along the road to dealing with the whole defective concrete block issue.'

He added that there were some issues that still needed to be addressed.

Sen Blaney said the motion in the Seanad was a 'very welcome occasion' and he was 'delighted that we are here now at this point where councils can start work in dealing with their own stock.'

He told how he has 'full confidence in Donegal County Council to handle the situation in Donegal.'

Sen Blaney highlighted those who live in SI houses or specific instance cottages and said they must be 'given the same affordability to the scheme now and not be left until the very end.'

"Some of these people are elderly and some are not in great health. I want to see all this move in tandem and not have anybody left behind.

"It was great to see the Minister make the moves before the summer in relation to building side by side.

"It is great that some families who are dealing with loved ones in very compromised health conditions can now get on with their house and have a new house built alongside the existing house.

Sen Blaney also asked for assurances that regulations within the new IS 465:2026 are applied to houses sent to the Board of Appeal.

He highlighted how 'decisions could be made on them based on old testings which would not be accurate and would not be right.'

"I want to ensure that any testing that is done is in compliance with the current regulation and that the proper outcomes are secured."

He also told how there is difficulty in Donegal 'with the market in that anybody going to sell their house now nearly has to go as far as testing the house to prove it has not got mica, and that is wrong.'

"There was a similar incidence of this in Cardiff quite a number of decades ago.

"They overcame it by using the engineering expertise whereby an engineer is employed for the visual inspection of the house, and with a visual inspection and the test results, certain ratings are given to houses.

"At the minute, there are questions over the mortgageability and insurability of these houses.

"It needs an intervention by the Department of housing to ensure there is a process whereby not everybody has to run through a two-year process to sell a house.

"It really is impacting the market. I would like the Department to seriously have a look at it and come up with a solution to it."

He said he was also aware of the crèche in Ardara and added how there may be '15 schools in total in Donegal where there are problems'

Sen Blaney said the Min for Education is 'looking' at these at the minute with a view to addressing them.

"That is very welcome. Crèches need to be the same. There are many other commercial buildings, etc., that we still need to address.

"If that is the case, that is concerning and needs to be addressed by Donegal County Council. If there is Traveller accommodation that is in difficulty with defective materials, that needs to be included in any council scheme or otherwise.

Min O'Sullivan thanked all the Senators for their contributuons,

He said the defective concrete block social homes scheme 'represents another significant step in the Government's response to the issues faced by communities affected by defective concrete blocks.'

Deputy O'Sullivan said the Government remains 'committed to supporting those affected and continue our work to deliver practical and effective solutions.'

"We will continue to work closely with local authorities and stakeholders to ensure affected social homes are remediated and that tenants are supported throughout the process.

"As I said, this will include working to ensure that all available State funding is used in as efficient a manner as possible and directing support from my Department for staffing resources, where necessary."

Dep O'Sullivan said Sen Flaherty's query on tenant purchase was an 'important one'.

"It is certainly something that, as a Department, we need to look at in order to give people that option."

He said the Government is committed to ensuring local authorities are resourced.

He added how engagement was happening 'at quite a large scale, but where local authorities seek more support and information, the Department will not be found wanting.'

Dep O'Sullivan added that local authorities will be obliged to accommodate those whose houses are being remediated.

"That is there, and they will be resourced to do so, which is very important.

"I know the Senator said that people were dissuaded from availing of it, but 604 houses have been done to date and there are another 790-odd in the pipeline.

"Therefore, we are getting there in terms of trying to get to as many houses as possible."

He asked for more information on the childcare facilities and said Government would 'like to work on' the matter of Traveller accommodation.