​Fianna Fáil TD Darragh O’Brien has described the Government's Pyrite Remediation Scheme as grossly inadequate. Deputy O’Brien has called on Minister Simon Coveney to overhaul the current scheme which is unfit for purpose and continuing to leave thousands behind.

Deputy O’Brien commented, “We are now in the third year of the remediation scheme, however, many families whose homes are literally falling apart with pyrite have yet to receive any support whatsoever from the State. They have been expected to live indefinitely in totally inadequate and hazardous conditions. 


"I have continually raised the concerns of home owners who I am in regular contact with and who are left in limbo. These people have waited far too long for help from the State despite the hard work and best efforts of staff, the Pyrite Remediation Board is working with extremely limited legislation and resources.


"There are an estimated 72,000 homeowners affected. However, it appears that fewer than 1000 homes have been accepted into the Government’s Pyrite Remediation scheme. The numbers of applications are severely limited due to the irrationally high threshold applied under the scheme.
 
"In its current form the scheme only addresses the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the extent of the pyrite problems in hundreds of homes in north Dublin. The criteria must be expanded to capture all homeowners affected by pyrite but currently ineligible for remediation.


"Leaving aside the damage, a house with pyrite is valueless, until it is remediated. It also must be extended to include reimbursement for families who have been forced to pay for repairs themselves.


"There is further issue in that homeowners with pyrite are are entitled to an exception from the local property tax, however, many homeowners are encountering difficulty in securing this immunity. It is therefore imperative that this exemption is made available among all those eligible.  

“I have tabled a series of questions which will be answered by the Minister and his Department in the next week; including how many homes have been remediated to date. It is time for the Government to realise their mistake and order a structured, reasoned review to expand and extend the scheme,” pointed out the Deputy.

​Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade Deputy Darragh O’Brien has called on the Government to make an early intervention with President Trump's administration on the plight of the undocumented Irish.


Speaking as speculation grows about the President's Cabinet appointments, Deputy O’Brien commented, “There are many challenges ahead and I hope that the long and valued friendship between Ireland and America will continue to prosper under Mr Trump's presidency.


“A number of issues were raised during the election campaign that directly affect Ireland, including the position of the undocumented.


“Despite the fact that many of the 50,000 Irish people have been living in America for decades, they have virtually no rights and their situation causes untold stress and uncertainty for them and their families. There are thousands of Irish couples who have had children in the United States but are unable to bring their children home to Ireland for holidays for fear they will not be allowed back into the States.


“Fianna Fáil in Government actively lobbied both the US President and US Congress seeking action on the plight of the undocumented Irish in the US, and published the party’s policy document on the issue in 2014" added O'Brien.


“As we embark on a new Presidential term there must be stronger emphasis on inter-parliamentary relations between the Irish and US Governments in order to strengthen the rights of Irish citizens in the US and to continue to pursue a solution to the undocumented problem. 


“I will be holding discussions with Irish emigrant groups to see how best we can progress this issue and I am calling on Minister Flanagan to use his role to ensure that the measures previously promised on immigration reform in the United States are realised”.

​                    - Feasibility study to be completed by March 2017 -
Dublin Fingal TD, Darragh O’Brien has welcomed the news from Irish Rail that a feasibility study, on increasing car park capacity at a number of its train stations, is currently taking place.

“This is great news for the thousands of commuters across North Dublin that rely on parking space availability at train stations to ensure they can get to work on time.”

“For the past number of years, I’ve called for an expansion in capacity, and have been in regular contact with Irish Rail raising the concerns of local commuters.”

“Too often over the past number of years, commuters wanting to park at the station were forced, due to a lack of capacity, to look elsewhere for parking, often at an increased price, and ultimately leading them to miss their train to the city centre.”

“Portmarnock station received a significant amount of investment, nearly €500,000 to increase parking capacity to 278 spaces.”

“While this is a welcome development, more capacity is needed in Portmarnock to keep up with the increased number of commuters but other stations across North Dublin also need the same level of investment to ensure that commuters can continue to use the train services to get to work on time.”

“The study is expected to be completed by the end of Quarter 1 in 2017, and I will be working hard to ensure that there is funding made available to Irish Rail to develop the additional capacity that is so obviously needed,” concluded O’Brien.

​Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade Darragh O’Brien TD has welcomed the UK High Court ruling that the UK Parliament rather than the Government has the power to trigger Article 50.

Commenting on the issue Deputy O’Brien said, “I welcome today’s significant ruling, and although I am aware that the Prime Minister has signalled her intention to appeal the decision, it nevertheless may give the British Government pause for thought as to how they are approaching Brexit.

"The approach taken so far by Prime Minister May would indicate that the UK is moving towards a hard Brexit which would have very serious negative ramifications for the entire island of Ireland. I would hope that today’s ruling may soften the UK Government’s stance and I welcome the fact that they will now have to consider and debate the views of the wider parliament before triggering Article 50.

"The significance of Brexit and its implications for the European Union and Ireland in particular cannot be underestimated. It is essential that there is a full and frank debate of the implications before Article 50 is triggered. So much of the debate in the run up to the referendum was based on lies, hyperbole and xenophobic sentiment. I hope that this ruling will now give space to properly explore what Brexit actually means and the implications of such a momentous decision.”

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs & Trade Darragh O’Brien says the Irish Government should notify French authorities of its willingness to accept a number of unaccompanied minors from the Calais Camp.

Speaking ahead of statements in the Dáil tomorrow on this issue Deputy O’Brien said, “The situation in Calais, particularly in relation to unaccompanied minors, is very disturbing and worrying. These children are exceptionally vulnerable and I believe that on humanitarian grounds the Government should notify the French authorities of its willingness to accept 200 unaccompanied minors.

“It is important that while the Irish Government shows leadership on this issue, it must be done in a considered manner and in conjunction with the relevant authorities in France. Children in the Calais camp do not fall under the various resettlement and relocation programmes that Ireland has agreed to so it is imperative that we ensure that all the appropriate procedures are followed in this regard.

“I am calling on the Government to make it known to the French authorities its willingness to accept 200 unaccompanied minors. At the end of the day this is an appalling situation and these children are at risk of all forms of exploitation. It is clear that we need action by the Government as soon as feasibly possible”.