Scheme for mica-affected homes criticised

It was a problem that many people did not want to talk about at first, but now there is outcry in Donegal over the defective blocks controversy, which is estimated to have affected more than 4,000 homes - with more and more people being told they will have to demolish and rebuild their houses. The bulk of the affected houses are in the Inishowen peninsula but there are houses across the county and also in county Mayo where internal and external walls have been cracking and breaking down due to defective blocks that contain high levels of mica. People had been reluctant to speak about the problem because it would invalidate their insurance cover. However as the problem worsened, people got together to campaign for a redress scheme for homes which were literally crumbling down around them. In October 2018, a scheme was finally agreed with government and it opened for applications last summer. Now, as engineers reports come in as part of the application process, many people are