Sinn Féin pledges to hold full public enquiry into Mayo pyrite crisis

SINN Féin say they are committed to introducing a 100 percent redress scheme for Mayo homeowners affected by pyrite as well as holding a full public enquiry into the defective block scandal.

The party's Mayo election manifesto 'Leading The Change in Mayo' was officially launched by party President Mary Lou McDonald in the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar.

Sinn Féin are running two candidates in Mayo in the General Election on November 29 with sitting TD Rose Conway-Walsh joined by veteran Charlestown-based councillor Gerry Murray on the election ticket.

In the election manifesto for Mayo, Sinn Féin outlined the party's committments to Mayo which included a 100 percent Pyrite Redress Scheme and a public enquiry into who was responsible for the pyrite and mica crisis in Ireland.

“The Pyrite Scandal has ravaged Mayo. The scandal where no one is accountable, no one is responsible, and thousands of homeowners and families watch their homes crumble. There was no proper government regulation and no consumer protection for people who bought concrete blocks in good faith.

“At the very least there needs to be 100 percent redress and a full public enquiry into how thousands of families were duped into buying and building homes that turned out to be worthless. That is Sinn Féin’s firm commitment. We cannot have a scheme where people affected cannot afford to access it or where people who have already been forced to borrow and use life savings are excluded. Sinn Féin will fix it, and we will enable people to get on with their lives,” the party stated in its manifesto.

In dealing with the lack of housing in the county, the two Mayo candidates stated they were committed to implementing Sinn Féin’s strategy to deliver social and affordable housing.

“Sinn Féin proposes a dramatic policy shift toward directly building social housing, reducing reliance on large private developers and ensuring housing is built by local builders where it is needed, including in rural areas like Mayo.”

They also gave a committment to enable people to build homes on their own land and tackle the 'astronomical costs of building these homes'.

The party also gave a committment to set a zero-tolerance approach to hospital trolleys and overcrowding as a target for all hospitals. To achieve this, they pleded to invest in 5,000 hospital inpatient beds out to 2031 including extra beds in Mayo University Hospital as well as district hospitals in Ballina, Swinford and Belmullet.

They also stated that they will tackle healthcare costs by reducing the monthly drug payment and abolishing prescription charges, extending medical cards to 400,000 more individuals.

Regarding farming and fishing in Mayo, Sinn Féin stated that they are committed to delivering a suckler payment of up to €300 per cow/calf pair, allocating €72 million to ensure this crucial support for farmers in Mayo and across Ireland. They will also increase the Sheep Improvement Scheme, providing €20 per ewe with a total budget of €15.2 million. They also state that they will appoint a dedicated Minister for Marine and Fishing.

The manifesto also included committments to reopen the Western Rail Corridor as well as investing in public transport and 'ramping up' investment in the road network in Mayo including the delivery of the upgrades of the R312, N26 and the N17.

In other committments outlined in the manifesto, the party say they will increase Garda numbers and presence throughout the county to tackle issues of crime and anti-social behaviour; invest in primary and social care including dental care; abolish means testing for Carers Allowance; ensure disabled children and adults in Mayo get the supports and services they need and improve infrastructure, broadband, and public services, while supporting local industries and job creation.