Big win for protesters; Government agrees to increase compensation for mica affected families

The government has agreed to increase the compensation amount for thousands of families affected by mica after intense negotiations took place last night. The families from Donegal and Mayo had denied the government deal earlier and were continuing protests to increase the compensation which will help them cover the repairing cost of homes.

Cracks were starting to appear in thousands of homes in the two counties which was a result of the presence of mica in concrete. According to the reports, mica attracts moisture from the environment, with external walls in some cases absorbing moisture from the ground like a sponge.

Approximately 6,600 homes suffered issues with cracks and now after the talks, the government will be spending over €3 billion as part of the redress scheme. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will bring a memo to today’s Cabinet meeting with a revision to the earlier proposal.

According to a report by Breakingnews.ie, the agreement was reached between the Department and groups representing affected homeowners on the three outstanding issues: certification; the status of homes that have been excluded from the scheme; and the maximum allowable “per foot” cost to rebuild the homes.

The Government had offered an average “per foot” rebuild cost of €138 per square foot.

Government sources last night said the final memo would contain clearer language that would give a better indication of the “per foot” cost than an average of €138, suggesting it would be higher in some cases.

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