TD calls for new scheme to tackle 'Mica Mess'

The use of defective building blocks in people's homes was and is a catastrophe, said Tipperary TD Michael Lowry in the Dail on Tuesday.

He added: "It was not created by the average person. They are not responsible for this appalling travesty and should not be expected to carry the cost. The Construction Industry should share some responsibility and contribute to the costs from net profits. Government needs to explain to the public why it is that no entity is held responsible or accountable and it should publish its legal advice on the issue."

Deputy Lowry continued: "It is accepted by everyone that those impacted by Mica have suffered enormously. The images we see of houses disintegrating is heart-wrenching. The hopes and dreams of their owners have crumbled into dust.

"These are not just houses. They are homes to some 8,000 families who have innocently found themselves trapped in a nightmare. Their homes were the biggest and most significant investment of their lives. Many of them undoubtedly struggled to build them. Sacrifices were made as they turned their dreams into a lifelong reality.

"These people must be compensated for the cruel hand they have been dealt. That is beyond question. They have no responsibility whatsoever for the mess they find themselves in.

"Government has decided that everyone who buys concrete blocks or products going forward will be liable for a 10% levy in order to rectify this problem. This decision has unintended consequences.

"The cost of addressing the Mica mess has been shifted onto the young couple who are saving to build their first home or to the family who needs to extend their house.

"This decision will exacerbate the existing housing crisis. This is at a time of unparalleled demand for all forms of housing right across the country. At a time when homelessness and housing demand have spiralled to record levels.

"What efforts were made to legally pursue the quarries and developers involved? Some operators within this supply chain are glaringly culpable. They behaved in a reckless fashion and exploited light touch regulation.

"Surely some mechanisms can be found to target and pursue the offending operators to recover monies for the State. ’

"I am not in favour of a blanket 10% levy. Government must restructure and design an acceptable scheme when it introduces the Finance Bill."