Conway-Walsh accuses government of ‘concerted effort to block and limit financial support’ for pyrite homeowners

SINN Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh has accused the government of ‘a concerted effort to block and limit financial support’ for pyrite-affected homeowners.

Deputy Conway-Walsh was reacting to a letter from the Attorney General, Paul Gallagher, to Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, which said that improvements to the pyrite redress scheme would ‘likely increase the number of applicants’.

At present, pyrite-affected homeowners are entitled to a maximum of €420,000 compensation based on the square footage of their house.

According to The Ditch website, Mr Gallagher advised Minister O’Brien to cap the amount of compensation available under the scheme, claiming that there could be ‘significant abuses’ from homeowners applying.

Mr Gallagher said it was ‘barely’ that local authorities would not have the capacity to administer the number of applications to the scheme and advised against the use of words such as ‘redress’ and ‘compensation’

“In financial terms, it will be extremely difficult to control the cost of the scheme based on 100 percent reimbursement, particularly if there are no caps on such payment,” wrote Mr Gallagher.

He also claimed that “any applicant will pitch his/her claim on the most generous basis that can be credibly advanced.”

“The very identification of a cap will also encourage claims to be presented at that outer limit instead of on the basis of figures more realistically reflecting the actual cost,” Mr Gallagher added.

“While a cap has significant merit and is perhaps absolutely necessary it must be appreciated that it also has the potential, given the amount of claims, to result in the inflation of many claims,” he wrote.

Deputy Conway-Walsh claimed that the contents of the letter raised ‘the most serious of questions about whose interests the government are interested in defending’.

“The government accepted much of this advice, which limited financial support to so many homeowners,” she stated.

“But when the Attorney General said in his advice that it was important to urgently engage with local solicitors to pursue wrongdoers – quarries and block manufacturers. This advice was ignored.

“He said there was considerable urgency with this. And, made it clear that even a company going into liquidation could still be pursued, and a claim made against them or their insurers.”

Over 350 Mayo households have applied to the government’s pyrite redress scheme. A number of pyrite-contaminated households have been rebuilt, or are in the process of being rebuilt.

Some homeowners have been left with significant out-of-pocket expenses despite being eligible for the scheme.