Questions council staff must answer

of the walls. Harry said: “It was hard news to take. We thought there might be a way to fix it but we think now the whole thing is going to have to be a demolition job.

“Our home, the home we’d built from scratch, is too dangerous for us to be in and it’s not fixable. It’ll have to come down.”

The family eventually secured another house for the Christmas period.

Tina added: “The council paid the rent as we were promised but it only lasted a few weeks and then we had to move again and take on the rent ourselves.

“So now we’re still out of our home, paying rent, paying a mortgage and we now know the house we’ve been paying for has absolutely no value.

“It sits on family land so if we walked away the bank could just come in and take the property and sell the site on my parents’ farm for about €5,000.

“Last Christmas we had dinner with my dad Joseph, who is 84, and my mum Mary, who is 79. We tried to have a happy day but their home overlooks ours and my dad just spent the day in tears.

“He knew how much effort, work and money we’d put into the house and the gardens. He knew the love we had for it and he wanted to make things better for us but there was nothing he could do.

“We need help and we need it now. We need to get our children back into our family home but in order to do that we need a new home and this one needs to be demolished.

“We need answers. We’ll spend this Christmas Day with my parents again and I want to see my father without tears and anguish.

“I’m telling the Irish Government now that I have faith in them to fix this mess. I hope they don’t let me down.

“We are desperate to get back home but I’ll be realistic and say we want to be in our home by Christmas 2020.

“Is that too much to ask for a family who have done nothing to deserve this disaster? No it’s not.”

CO DONEGAL YESTERDAY

How many properties do you estimate are affected by the defective blocks issue currently?

What practical support from Donegal County Council is expected to be delivered and when?

What has the impact of defective blocks been on the council area as a whole?

What negotiations has Donegal County Council had with one or any of the mortgage lenders on behalf of their residents? Government in terms of assisting families hit by the blight of defective blocks?

What measures are in place for building control in the council area? Where does the blame for the defective block issue lie?

What measures have been taken to ensure the person/ company/organisation responsible for the issue faces the consequences of their actions/ errors?

If so, when did they stop producing blocks containing Mica?

What actions are being taken by Donegal County Council to assure taxpayers and voters that manufacturers/providers of the defective blocks and associated companies and any other Irish quarry are producing blocks which are fit for purpose and contain no Mica?

Pictures: TREVOR MCBRIDE FALLING APART Harry Crumlish at his home in Co Donegal yesterday THE Mirror contacted Donegal County Council on August 7 in a series of phone calls and emails with questions about defective blocks used in properties and public buildings in the area.One week later the council response remains: “Unfortunately the person who is best advised to give a response to your queries is on annual leave and is not in a position to provide a comprehensive response to your queries at this time.”Here is what we asked:When did Donegal County Council first understand defective blocks were causing an issue in the council area?What practical support has Donegal County Council given or offered property owners and what has been delivered to date?Which of Donegal County Council’s buildings are affected by defective blocks and have any of the remedies used, ie at the library, worked?What does Donegal County Council say to claims members of the council have:1. Not taken the situation seriously2. Advised third parties that the homeowners are exaggerating the seriousness of the situation, and3. That “most” have done nothing practical to assist homeowners.Who is responsible for building control matters? Have any new measures been put in place – and what are they?Which individual or group or collective is responsible for the defective block issue? Can Donegal County Council confirm manufacturers/ providers of the defective blocks and/or associated companies are no longer selling or producing blocks containing Mica?The rent SHOCKING Yesterday’s If not, what allowances paid to Irish Mirror exclusive measures are being a small number of families put in place to hold them to were stopped within a matter account? of weeks. Why was this and what measures are in place to help families with defective blocks who are struggling to meet mortgage costs and rentals after being advised by engineers to leave their homes which are deemed unsafe?

CRACKING UP Tina and Harry Crumlish