Absence of specific budget allocation for defective concrete crisis slammed - Donegal Daily

Donegal TD Charles Ward has said that the absence of a specific budget allocation for the defective concrete crisis in Budget 2027 shows a ’lack of respect to t...

Donegal TD Charles Ward has said that the absence of a specific budget allocation for the defective concrete crisis in Budget 2027 shows a 'lack of respect to the homeowners impacted by this crisis.'

The 100% Redress Party TD said: "Budget 2027 refers to the defective concrete crisis just twice and doesn’t even bother to give this humanitarian crisis its own section or detail its specific budget allocation, it’s lumped in with a list of other housing supports and programmes."

The Donegal Deputy criticised the fact that the government 'still does not know' how many properties are impacted by defective concrete and are 'unable to understand and plan for the scale of the crisis.

He said: "If the Government has underestimated the number of affected homes, then it has almost certainly underestimated the financial liability that comes with them.

"In recent years, affected homeowners have been told repeatedly that the problem is limited, manageable and contained.

"Yet the evidence emerging from affected counties continues to suggest that the scale of this crisis may be significantly larger than originally believed."

He continued: ‘Research discussed this year has pointed to approximately 20,000 potentially affected properties across Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Limerick alone, and we know this is only the starting point!

"If that figure proves to be accurate, and if further investigations identify additional affected homes elsewhere, then we need to start having an honest conversation about what this means for the State, because every financial estimate rests on one crucial assumption: How many homes are affected?

"Without answering that question, no cost projection can be considered definitive."

Deputy Ward said that the crisis is about much more than money.

"Behind every statistic is a family, behind every grant application is a home, behind every engineering report is a household trying to decide whether to stay, leave, rebuild or somehow keep going."

He stated: ‘For many families, this crisis has consumed years of their lives, the emotional toll has been extraordinary.

"Many feel abandoned by the very institutions that were supposed to protect them.

"And while the Government focuses on the cost of remediation, homeowners continue to carry the cost of stress, anxiety and disruption."

The 100% Redress Party leader also warned that the defective concrete crisis has wider housing implications.

"Every defective home that becomes uninhabitable is effectively removed from Ireland's housing stock.

"It is not just a defective concrete issue, it is a housing issue, a social issue, and increasingly, it is becoming a public finance issue."

Deputy Ward urged the Government to publish the assumptions underpinning its €3.6 billion estimate.

"How many homes are included? What average remediation cost has been assumed?

"How many demolitions are projected? What allowance has been made for ancillary costs, temporary accommodation and associated expenditure?

"These are reasonable questions. In fact, they are essential questions."