New mica redress scheme to come before Cabinet within two weeks

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said he had told redress campaigners that a revised version of the scheme would not be ready before last week's protest outside the Dáil

Protesters on O'Connell Street, Dublin, last Friday. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

A revised mica redress scheme will come to Cabinet in the next two weeks, with the State having a moral obligation to act, the Housing Minister says.

Darragh O'Brien said he had told redress campaigners that a revised version of the scheme would not be ready before last week's protest outside the Dáil, but said one would be available soon.

Mr O'Brien said he had inherited the current scheme, which provides 90% redress for those whose homes are crumbling in the west and northwest.

"I committed last July that we would work to improve this scheme and enhance it greatly, and we're still doing that, but there's a lot to it. We've made progress in very significant areas around planning exemptions, upfront costs, rent, storage, all of those elements, and I did explain to residents when I met them before last week that I wouldn't have the package ready for October 8 and they had already planned to come to Dublin to do their protest.

Protestors march across Talbot Memorial Bridge in Dublin on Friday. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

"In January 2020, a scheme was agreed. I went to Buncrana in August 2020 and met residents and actually said when I met them in the hotel that day that all schemes evolve and we have to see how it works. 

"And it has been proven that it hasn't worked as would have been envisaged by the previous government. I committed to improving it... and that's what I've explained as well to the group that I'll have to bring those proposals to Cabinet, which I hope to do within the next two weeks."

Budget measure to stop land-hoarding

On tomorrow's budget, the minister said a tax measure aimed at stopping land-hoarding was being considered.

"That's a tax measure I think [Finance] Minister Paschal Donohoe has signalled in relation, as I have, to vacant property, and that we're working through that on the basis of the returns from the local property tax returns. 

"We are looking at activation measures about how we can help to unlock land that's maybe, looking at the planning permissions and see what has been awarded. What we need to do is make sure that our land that is sitting there idle, that it gets into use, particularly where it's zoned residential. That's why we brought forward serious changes to even the Land Development Agency because even the state holds on to land that should be built upon."

Mr O'Brien also confirmed that he had met virtually with billionaire financier Dermot Desmond, who had written to him to express alarm at the state of the housing market.