Funding announced for research into pyrite issues
- Large number of Clare homes impacted
- €200,000 to be invested in research
Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed the announced of a €200,000 research programme into legacy issues of defective concrete blocks and pyritic hardcore.
The issue has been prominent in Clare and in other counties and has left devastated homeowners who are dealing with the issues caused by the defective materials used on their homes.
This research will support evidence-based decision making for policymakers and standardisation bodies and will lead to a greater understanding of the effects of pyrite and mica in construction products and potentially avoid future adverse effects in buildings.
“I’m delighted to see that Minister Darragh O’Brien has provided this funding to formally look into the causes behind these worrying issues,” said Deputy Crowe.
“This is a major problem in Co. Clare and I’ve been to see a number of homes directly effected by defective building materials so I know first hand both how serious the building problems are and how utterly devastating it is to homeowners who have borrowed hundreds of thousands for their family homes.
“I’m continuing to work with effected homeowners in Clare to ensure that a remediation scheme specific to our county can be put in place.
“In order for this scheme to be established, data needs to be submitted to government relating to the prevalence of the problem in the county.
“Clare County Council will be submitting a sample report on a number of homes in the county and this should hopefully pave the way to the owners of all defective homes being provided with funding to help them address the problems.
“The fund announced today will help to expand on the scientific knowledge relating to these defective materials and I hope some of this research will be based in Clare and the Midwest region, where the problem is prevalent.”
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