Danny Healy-Rae Demands Answers on Faulty Concrete Blocks
Danny Healy-Rae spoke in a parliamentary debate about widespread failures in concrete blocks used in homes and community halls, urging the minister to explain the cause and implement a redress scheme. He called for affected halls to be restored and for accountability after people lost their homes and have been rehoused for many years.
Danny Healy-Rae criticised the delay in resolving the issue and welcomed local unity from Dunigal, Mayo and Claire in seeking redress. He said the redress scheme must be fully implemented so communities can get their halls back as they rightfully should.
He expressed bewilderment at how so many concrete blocks could fail, asking whether the problem was cement, stone or some fault in the making. He pressed the minister to explain whether the failures were accidental or deliberate and to provide a clear cause for the widespread collapse.
He referenced local producers, saying "my Jack" has been making concrete blocks for years and the Casey brothers have been delivering them from Ratmore for years. He used these examples to underscore his confusion about how established local production could result in such widespread defects.
He emphasised that people have lost their homes and have been living outside their homes for many years as a result of the failures. He noted that, to his knowledge, no one has been held to account or brought before a court, and he demanded answers and responsibility from the minister.
Summary of remarks
Danny Healy-Rae criticised the delay in resolving the issue and welcomed local unity from Dunigal, Mayo and Claire in seeking redress. He said the redress scheme must be fully implemented so communities can get their halls back as they rightfully should.
Questions about manufacturing and cause
He expressed bewilderment at how so many concrete blocks could fail, asking whether the problem was cement, stone or some fault in the making. He pressed the minister to explain whether the failures were accidental or deliberate and to provide a clear cause for the widespread collapse.
Local suppliers cited as examples
He referenced local producers, saying "my Jack" has been making concrete blocks for years and the Casey brothers have been delivering them from Ratmore for years. He used these examples to underscore his confusion about how established local production could result in such widespread defects.
Impact on homes and accountability
He emphasised that people have lost their homes and have been living outside their homes for many years as a result of the failures. He noted that, to his knowledge, no one has been held to account or brought before a court, and he demanded answers and responsibility from the minister.
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Transcript
Thank you very much. I'm glad to get the opportunity to contribute to this debate as well and indeed I have many times in the past and I can't understand how this is going on so long but I had the real minister saying there the different things that hold it up and I hope it's full built ahead now to ensure that the people of Dunigal, Mayo and Claire and any other affected area get the redress scheme and to get their halls back and on. As they rightfully should have. Indeed it is great to see you all uniting from Dunigal and Mayo and Claire and all and you have given a lot of time to these debates. I suppose I can't visualise whatever went wrong in the first place because we have concrete blocks below on Kerry. My Jack has been making them for years and the Casey brothers have been delivering them from Ratmore for years and then they're worried about anything wrong at the concrete block. I can't understand what went wrong. Was it the cement? Was it the stone? Or what in the making went wrong and how is it so widespread? I mean a load of concrete could go wrong somewhere and something caused it. But tons and tons and tons of concrete that went into these blocks and how they all finished up in a mess and that it took a bit of time before they did fall apart. Was it done designedly or what happened? Because it needs to be, we need to get told that Minister, see what was the cause of the bloody thing in the first place because I mean people have lost their homes and they have been outside of their homes now for many, many years and we don't hear of anyone being chastised or brought before a court or anything for the reason of why it happened. Thank you.