Low number of Mayo pyrite homes rebuilt

Just 95 Mayo homeowners impacted by pyrite have had works completed under the Defective Concrete Block Scheme since June 2020.

There were 437 applications for remediation made to Mayo County Council up to the end of last June. Of these, 246 applicants in the county have commenced work on rebuilding their homes with just 95 completed. The majority of pyrite cases in Mayo are in the north of the county.

In all effected counties, 220 homeowners have had works completed out of 2,870 applications.

The Defective Concrete Block Scheme helps homeowners to repair or rebuild their homes where significant damage has been caused by the presence of pyrite or mica in the blocks used to build it. The scheme was originally opened in June 2020 and covered counties Mayo and Donegal with owners able to claim 90% of a maximum rebuild cost of €247,500.

In June 2023, an enhanced scheme opened for applications with homes in Clare and Limerick now included and the rebuild cost limit pushed up to €462,000. In October 2024, Co Sligo was also added.

Since applications to the enhanced scheme opened, there have been 164 applications in Co Clare, 64 in Co Limerick and three in Co Sligo.

“What the latest figures show is that the defective concrete block scheme is not working for the vast majority of affected homeowners," said Mayo Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh. “There have been fewer applications to the so-called enhanced scheme that the original scheme.

“The grants do not cover the cost of remediating the homes. The fact that it is paid in arrears means that only those with cash up front or an ability to borrow can proceed. 

"The grant awards are not keeping up with construction sector inflation. And despite having been approved for the scheme over a year ago Sligo has not even started accepting applications.

“Government must go back to the drawing board and introduce an end-to-end scheme run by the Pyrite Resolution Board to ensure 100% redress for all impacted homeowners.

“This is the only way to ensure that all those who did nothing wrong have their homes remediated or rebuilt in a timely and cost-effective manner," she added.

Deputy Conway-Walsh praised the efforts of Clodagh Gleeson in Mayo County Council "who does trojan work to help homeowners against all the odds”.