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DONEGAL FINE GAEL TD Joe McHugh has resigned the Fine Gael whip after he voted against the Government’s proposed mica redress legislation, leaving the Government without a majority.
In a statement on Twitter, McHugh said he is resigning the whip with “a heavy heart”, but believes it is the right thing to do.
“This evening I voted against the ‘Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022′. While I acknowledge the work that has gone into the proposed compensation package, the Bill still needs improvement in key areas and I have engaged extensively with the Government on these,” he said.
“I believe that insufficient time has gone into debating the Bill, which could have allowed these issues to be addressed to improve this legislation to meet the needs of the people affected by this devastating issue.
“I confirm that I am resigning the whip of Fine Gael and while I do so with a heavy heart I believe that it is the right decision.”
3/3
— Joe McHugh (@McHughJoeTD) July 6, 2022
affected by this devasting issue.
I confirm that I am resigning the whip of Fine Gael and while I do so with a heavy heart I believe that it is the right decision
It follows the whip being withdrawn from two Green Party TDs Patrick Costello and Neasa Hourigan in late May after they voted against the Government on a Sinn Féin motion on the National Maternity Hospital.
McHugh resigning the Fine Gael whip leaves the government with 79 government TDs, one TD short of the required 80 for a majority within the Dáil.
Despite McHugh voting against the legislation, it was passed by the Government with 71 votes to 67.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy told the Dáil that the Government had lost their majority and questioned if there were conclusions that could be drawn as to why.
“Are you going to draw any conclusions from the fact that you’ve lost your majority,” Murphy asked Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.
“Will you avoid doing further damage to your government, to your political parties by drawing the lessons and doing right by the homeowners?”
Additional reporting by Jane Moore
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While I feel for the home owners, I don’t understand why the suppliers are not being held accountable. Why are tax payers made cover this? On this logic if my boiler is faulty the government should cover it.
@Mar Bourne
7 or 8 people here in Mayo has demolished the house and are re-building allready, the other day i enquired of one of them how does the present redress scheme leve them. She said around 50 to 60,000 short, she said that they need to furnish the house, that what was in the house that was affected by pyrite, which ok, the ketchen and bathrom would have to be replaced, the question should the RS fully compensate this.
The present RS has gone a long way to give the house owners what they wanted, 100% +rentage, the € per square foot has increased significanly to €161 per square foot. It would seem that they are shifting the goal posts all the time.
Interesting Mc Hugh said one of the reasons he was voting against it was that downsizing was not allowed, it should be as in many cases the family size has reduced.
@Mar Bourne: I suppose the local government signed off in some manner on the build. Hence tax payer is caught.
@Caoimhghin Whyte: That’s exactly how it works, great point. Plus the Homebond insurance only lasts 10 years.
@Mar Bourne: they went “bust” luckily their wives or kids started up the business again to put food on the table
@Mar Bourne: The government brought in the original legislations back in I think the 1950′s or thereabouts. Never made any checks. Let wuaries send in their own samples. They dropped the ball so need to take care of the tab.
Good man Joe, all the courage of a man who has already announced he’s not going to run again. No fear of you doing the actual decent thing and resigning your seat altogether.
@Eoin Roche: A Fine Gael TD with a conscience, they’re very thin on the ground. If anyone should resign it’s the Housing Minister Daragh O’Brien.
@Eoin Roche: why would he resign his seat???
@BIG BIRD: he’ll have a few years to wait for the pension, he’s only 50.
@Reg: He will get a gratuity for his service as aTD. He will be able to draw down on his pension àt 55. He will not be worried about the price of a litre of milk or a loaf like many of his Donegal neighbours.
Forgive me if I’m wrong but Is 420k not enough to build a new house in Donegal?
@Anto Curran: Read the full legislation and you’ll realise that by the time to rebuild starts there is a lot of that 420k gone already
@Shaun Gallagher: like what ? 10 percent professional fees ? even if that, if you can’t build a house for 350k even in these times, there’s a serious problem with the quotes your getting to rebuild
@John Mulligan: Do you have a link to the figures involved or is it just whataboutery like most of your comments?
@Anto Curran: and why do they need furniture, there absolutely right in getting the money for this mess, but furniture as well
@Johnny Honest: You’d be doing very well to rebuild and finish a full house for 350k, between the demolition and site clearance, you’d probably spend 30-40k and to get to a builders finish on a 1500 sqft house your looking at around 300K so yeah you’ll probably have a house, no kitchen, lights, heating system etc. Also need to remember , all these houses need to be built to the new building regs which is a lot more expensive than the way they were built 10+ years ago
@Johnny Honest: there is a simple solution… the Dept takes control and rebuilds or reinstates the faulty houses for the people affected and covers the cost. Then all talk about the cost of building and who gets what is redundant. Just get on with it.
@Pat Tobin: anyone rebuilding won’t have to pay for a site, won’t have to buy septic tank etc, landscaping is already done, ESB connection already paid, Council fee’s already paid.
@Patrick O Connell: I am going doing a complete rebuild on my 1800 sqft house, I’ve lived in for 8 years and best quote is 350,000 euro without demolition. I have my site, septic tank, landscape it myself after. And it’s a complete demolish and rebuild. 200 euro a sqft is standard across the country.
@Anto Curran: It’s the cost of building the swimming pools… Expensive business
A brave little chicken now that he’s not running again.
He will not be the only Gov TD who will move against this scheme
@Maurice O Neill: did you read the whole article?
Varadkar admits in the Dáil chamber to leaking a State contract which was still being negotiated and nothing happens to him. Keir Starmer (much as I’m no great fan of his) has pledged to resign if he gets fined by police for having a beer and a takeaway curry. The state of it! Also… TheJournals take is to close the comments!
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: Loophole Leo.
Oh imagine how great it would be for both ours and the UK govt to fall in one day!
@Keith O’Reilly: Amazing, our government on the cliff edge but the UK government getting all the headlines on Irish stations.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: Boris is giving Leo a run for the money
Found his backbone at last it’s not to late to stop this flawed scheme
@Alan Wilson: should be no scheme at all. Home bond/insurance and the block supplier suppliers insurance should be held accountable
@Garreth mc mahon: ah cop on, this is Ireland sure nobody is accountable for anything here that goes wrong, we have loads of money let’s get the taxpayer to pay for it, because it sure as hell isn’t anyone who is to blame will be asked to pay.
@Michael Howe: Of course there’s no accountability as proven by the fact no charges are being made against Varadkar. Though I doubt many will be surprised. Even when you admit to wrongdoing you can still walk away without censure.
@Alan Wilson: indeed flawed for the tax payer
Another shambolickly handled/Managed issue by the government. This one takes the biscuit, it’s Actually the roof over their heads. It should never of gotten this far in the first place, considering the admission by Paschal and/or Leo that there is a healthy surplus in this and previous budgets……!!
@antisocialbarber: sort it out and put it to bed then legislate for future mica and pyrite issues
@antisocialbarber: any holidays planned this year ?
@Ciaran: are you goin’ anywhere nice Ciaran. Don’t get me started on the airports :( ..!
@antisocialbarber: you realise the healthy surplus is needed for many other problems facing the country. Inflation and cost of living being the elephant in the room.
@dreiglaser: yes of course I do. Fixing this problem won’t break the bank by a long shot. I am acutely aware of all the other issues that need attention and funding. Re-read the first part of my first post. It’s the actual roof over their heads. That needs immediate addressing in my eyes
@antisocialbarber: you’ve hit the nail on the head with a missing roof. Many more not affected by Mica have no homes and need assistance. This scheme at best should have been partial assistance from the government with the most accountability from those who caused it – builders and suppliers. I feel sorry for people affected but we all get handed bad luck in life and don’t get bailed out by the taxpayer.
The banks who make a profit on the mortgages on these houses require an engineers report on the premises, also they own the property, surely they have some responsibility in the matter. What were the engineers doing for the fee?
If the government dealt with the issue when it was 1st highlighted in The Dail over 10 years ago when only 13 properties were affected we would not have this situation where thousands of properties, apartment and civic buildings around the country are now affected. Bizarrely the same suppliers are still self assessing their own building materials to this day with no state regulation on it’s quality. The issue could be with us for the next 10-15 years. More billions wasted by the FFG LAB muppets.
On the issue of this ” brave man” resigning the whip I think it’s a meaningless gesture… but regarding the scheme to compensate home owners.. fair enough, but surely the architects builders and suppliers should have to pay, not the taxpayer.
The crazy thing is that the same builders architects and possibly the same suppliers will get paid again at the taxpayers expense to rebuild many of these houses…. only in Ireland.
There are so many other costs attached. Ppl are still paying mortgages/loans on their homes, including those who bought new builds from their local authority. They will have to find and pay for a rental property while their house is being demolished and rebuilt, and that could be for many months. Neighbours of mine are out of their home almost a year now. Furniture has to be put in storage. And that’s without even considering the inflated price of building materials
Doing it now just to save his bacon. Didn’t m care about the mica families before doesn’t care about them now.
Are we going to applaud every politican from the area who steps does down based on their regional allegiance? All useless and all virtue signallers. What’s his next plan?
Boris, and Irish Government in heaps of trouble. No harm in both falling apart..
Must be an election coming soon, he’s not doing because of his beliefs or conscience
@Tom Mc Bride: He’s not running for election again. Keep up.
If I buy a product and it isn’t up to standard, be it a car, a concrete block or a bar of chocolate, I contact the supplier, if that fails I contact the manufacturer… Why should any government be responsible for the faulty product
He could not care as he is out the gap with pockets full of his pension. But, Leo little error of judgement isn’t the talking point. I feel took one for the team. Slight of hand trick. Look at the story while the real story is bushed from our view.
Why are the rest of us paying for this? There was a company that provided the blocks, someone inspected the house, etc… it should be on the supplier and or surveyor and if they went bust, and reopened, that liability should still be attached before reopening as it is effectively negligence bordering on criminality.
Housing Minister my as
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