MEP calls for more support to those affected by defective block crisis

Fine Gael’s Colm Markey has said the European Parliament’s report on the defective concrete block crisis in Ireland should be amended to ensure that financial institutions take a more ‘proactive’ role in supporting affected homeowners.

There is said to be over 1000 Mayo homes affected by the crisis, with more than 300 application for the redress scheme.

The Petitions Committee met yesterday morning to discuss the results of its fact-finding visit to Ireland in November. Members of the Committee now have two weeks to make amendments to the report, ahead of a vote in March.

“I want to commend the rapporteur Dolors Montserrat, for delivering a comprehensive report that addresses all the main concerns voiced by homeowners during our recent mission to Ireland” he stated.

The Midlands-North-West MEP described it as ‘robust’ but said it could go even further.

He said: “The banks have to step up by offering zero-interest loans to those applying to the redress scheme. I will be engaging with my colleagues over the coming weeks to see how we can amend the report to reflect this position”.

“This, coupled with other measures outlined, such as reducing red tape and speeding up the process, would result in a far more streamlined scheme that is more accessible to those affected. The banks must step forward and provide this bridging finance”. he added.

Mr Markey said other elements of the draft report are also very welcome as this will ‘not only provide valuable information but ensure that we can take proactive steps to prevent a similar crisis in the future.’

“As the report states, this situation can never be allowed to occur again, not only in Ireland, but in any EU country”, he concluded.