Housing Only two hours allotted to debate on €3.65bn mica blocks billMembers of the Oireachtas housing committee had called on the government to allow a full hearing next week to debate a list of 80 amendments to the controversial legislation, but none has been scheduled
Housing Living with mica: ‘It’s bulls**t about this being a full 100% redress grant, it’s just insulting’Owners of crumbling homes say they cannot afford the repairs on their unsafe, leaking properties — and the government’s redress scheme designed to end the mica crisis is instead prolonging the trauma
Housing ‘Majority of homes damaged by defective blocks need to be knocked down’ Expert on concrete technology says if there are cracks in the walls ‘and at the same time you have internal sulphates discovered . . . you don’t have an option – you have to demolish’
Legal State’s plan to take money won in mica legal actions is ‘probably unconstitutional’, law firm warnsColeman Legal has urged the government to ‘immediately’ withdraw a provision that means the state will take over legal actions taken by homeowners if they’re signed up to its redress scheme
Housing Faulty blocks scheme ‘inflexible, cynical, illogical and blinkered’, mica campaigners claimHomeowners told the housing committee the scheme will in reality be closer to an 80 per cent grant than the 100 per cent redress promised by the government
Housing Mica homeowners will not be able to take legal action if they sign up to state’s redress scheme The clause, contained in the general scheme of the mica bill, is likely to impact hundreds of homeowners who have signed up to a legal action
Housing TDs to hold hearings on mica scheme as new bill to bypass regular scrutiny Housing committee will hold public meetings next week but has agreed to the government’s request to waive pre-legislative scrutiny of the defective blocks bill
Housing Cost of faulty block redress to rise by €500m as scheme to be extended to Limerick and ClareCabinet is expected to approve a plan to include two new counties in a scheme that currently only covers homes in Donegal and Mayo, in a move that could push the costs of the programme above €2.7bn
Mica Donegal block manufacturer faces series of High Court cases over damaged bricksAt least eight homeowners have initiated High Court proceedings against Cassidy Brothers, as well as Donegal County Council and the National Standards Authority of Ireland
Government considering plan to bypass scrutiny on mica blocks bill Department of Housing is keen to pass a bill to underpin the defective blocks scheme before the Dáil’s summer recess, but campaigners believe scrutiny is vital to make sure the legislation is satisfactory
housing All local authorities to be contacted over potential mica problemsFears are growing that the defective building blocks problem, initially thought to be largely confined to the north-west, could be more widespread than imagined
Hundreds of mica homeowners in limbo as government at odds with Donegal County CouncilAlmost 400 applications for the mica redress scheme are stalled because a recently discovered material is not covered leading to significant disagreement between the council and the government
Mica blocks problem may be far more widespread than fearedUnpublished report understood to admit that defective blocks are being found in counties that were not previously known about
O’Brien faces internal pressure over fears new mica report could add €300m to cost of redress schemeNew report, which recommends higher costs for fixing mica houses, has been opposed by some senior civil servants
Cost of state’s mica scheme could rise significantly New report recommends increase in grants homeowners can claim to rebuild their houses
Mica grants will only cover cost of fixing homes to pre-2007 building standardsUpdated report on the costs of fixing mica-damaged homes will be worked out on basis of restoring houses to old building regulations
Donegal County Council halts mica redress payments due to problems with grant schemeCouncil is seeking ‘clarification’ from the government over elements of the scheme and in the meantime has stopped confirming grant payments for mica homeowners
‘No justification’ to make building industry pay €800m towards mica schemeTom Parlon, director general of the Construction Industry Federation, said the organisation was exploring legal options if a new levy is introduced in the sector
Michael Brennan: €2.2 billion mica scheme a significant commitment from the stateCompensation programme is not everything that campaigners wanted but is €800 million more than recommended by the mica working group several weeks ago
New mica scheme to be capped at €420k per home Revised scheme likely to be agreed next week will come at a cost of €2.2bn to the taxpayer