Westport pyrite victims awaiting payments amid Dáil committee delays

SEVEN pyrite-affected households in Westport’s Páirc na Coille that could avail of a top-up to their pyrite redress grant are still awaiting payments due to the delay in establishing Dáil committees.

Under proposed amendments to the pyrite redress scheme, eligible applicants will be entitled to a one-off retrospective payment to reflect the increase in the rates of payment under the Defective Concrete Block Redress Scheme.

The government agreed to a ten percent increase in the rates last October. However, these increases are still yet to be enacted in legislation.

The formation of legislation has been slowed by the delay in establishing Oireachtas committees. This was caused by the saga over the amount of Dáil speaking time afforded to opposition TDs who are supporting the government, which led to heated exchanges in the lower house.

The various Oireachtas committees - whose function is to debate and scrutinise legislation - will not take place for another five weeks.

The level of compensation under the pyrite redress scheme is calculated based on the square footage of liveable space in the house rather than the total rebuild cost.

If enacted in legislation, certain homeowners will see their rate of payment rise from €2,045 per square metre to €2,224 per square metre. The maximum grant for rebuilding a pyrite- or mica-contaminated house will increase to €460,000.

Once-off measure

The proposed retrospective payment has been described as ‘a once-off transitional measure’ for affected homeowners who qualified for the scheme under the old rates.

Linda Claxton, Chairperson of the Páirc na Coille Residents’ Association, said that homeowners in the estate - where over 30 houses have tested positive for pyrite - were ‘getting nowhere’ despite making several representations to elected representatives.

Many homeowners in the estate who qualified for the pyrite redress scheme under the old rates were left with significant out-of-pocket costs to rebuild their homes.

“I’m over €100,000 down. If I got that retrospective payment, it’s nearly €20,000. That would be a huge help to me,” Ms Claxton told The Mayo News.

Several houses in Páirc na Coille, including Ms Claxton’s, have had to be demolished and rebuilt due to pyrite contamination.

Mayo County Council has received over 400 applications to the pyrite redress scheme. To date, 61 properties have been rebuilt with funding from the scheme.