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Before the working group released its report, activists seeking 100% compensation for houses affected by defective neighborhoods were protesting outside Congress. Video: Enda Odowd

Amanda and Paddy Diver and their children Reece and Savannah held samples of defective building blocks outside Leinster House on Thursday. Photo: Nick Bradshaw

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The crumbling bricks displayed outside Leinster House on Thursday were a disaster for homeowners and a huge political and financial responsibility for the government.

For everyone else, they provided a useful lesson, that is, how to not supervise the production of building materials and the construction of houses. This is the largest single investment for most people, and the cost can only be recovered in decades.

As Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien takes action to advance the state remediation plan, the cost of repairing and rebuilding thousands of houses is expected to exceed 1.5 billion euros.

These regulations have been strengthened in recent years, but it is too late for people trapped in mica-affected houses in Co Donegal and other counties, although the exact number is not yet clear.

Most of the affected houses were built between 1999 and 2009. The concrete block expert group that reviewed the matter for the government made it clear in its 2017 report that there were “standard” blocks for the constituent materials and concrete manufacturing at that time. There are also codes of practice regarding structural design, construction and rendering of concrete block walls. Nevertheless, these rules did not prevent the use of unsuitable bricks in Donegal.

The team found that the bricks were "abnormal", saying that this was mainly due to the excessive amounts of "harmful substances" in the form of muscovite in the aggregates used in the bricks. The team also reported "deviations" from the composition and thickness of the plaster, the lack of cavities for water seepage holes, and the standard for controlled joints. Construction experts cited the harsh Donegal weather as an excuse to privately say that the smooth plastering of some houses exposed the bricks to severe water damage. They will be better protected by the cobblestone rendering.

At that time, the implementation of the Construction Products Law was carried out within the budget of the local authority. The team specifically pointed out that they do not have internal technical resources to test products that may not be compliant. "Given the limited resources available and their application exceeds 31 independent local building control agencies, law enforcement actions related to construction products are usually carried out on a passive basis."

Market surveillance activities are usually triggered only on the basis of received complaint information, which now appears to be a clear gap. This poses serious problems for both the local authorities and the central government. The central government has the responsibility to ensure that the department performs functional supervision and, if it wishes, to promote stricter supervision. However, this mica legend is just one of a few cases where taxpayers have incurred huge costs due to poor-quality Celtic tiger practices.

The Donegal County Council rejected an interview request from The Irish Times to discuss issues such as the adequacy of enforcement of the regulations. "As the government is about to complete work with the [mica] working group, it is inappropriate for CEO John G McLaughlin to conduct an interview at this time," the committee said.

Today, a new national agency, the National Building Control and Market Supervision Office, has overall responsibility for the industry. Earlier this year, hundreds of quarry operators were told in a letter that their monitoring plan will focus on aggregates of concrete and mortar, asphalt mixtures and other materials.

"This activity will include routine announcements and surprise inspections and surveys of your quarries, mines, manufacturing locations, and storage locations, as well as collecting samples of aggregates and stones and other products for testing. We will also request to provide Files," the office said. It has the right to enter any manufacturing or storage locations of any construction products, any related technical documents and any vehicles carrying such products.

The standards governing construction products have also been tightened, but only after the mica problem and pyrite floor swelling problems emerged.

The National Standards Agency of Ireland (NSAI) first certified the manufacture of concrete products in 2013, but it certifies the process, not the actual block. The system now defines requirements for aggregates used in products including blocks. The manufacturer must commission a petrographic test of the chemical composition of the quarry material and provide a geologist's report. NSAI's audit of the block manufacturer's process will also assess whether such testing is in place.

All of these are designed to provide a guarantee for the future, but they are not comfortable for mica homeowners in Donegal and other areas.

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