Independent candidate Peter Casey is urging Donegal mortgage holders with properties affected by Mica to halt repayments in order to force the government’s hand in delivering proper redress.

Mr Casey says homeowners, standing in complete solidarity, will force the banks to heap pressure on the Government to act swiftly in funding the restoration, repair or rebuild of crumbling homes in Donegal.

Mr Casey described last week’s signing of the regulations governing the “limited and inadequate” government scheme as “cynical vote-catching nonsense”.

Now he is urging those affected to take drastic steps to achieve fairer redress.

Mr Casey says: “I would urge anyone living in a Mica house to stop paying the mortgage on their home immediately and instead secure their money in a local credit union. It is important that everyone stands together in this so that the banks will lean heavily on the Government to deal with the issue swiftly.

“The banks cannot evict the people affected from their homes because, on paper, the properties are worthless. These homes can’t be rented, they can’t be sold, and they can’t be insured – the banks only real response will be to put pressure on the Government. And we all know too well – much to the detriment of Ireland – that the Government acts when under pressure from the banks.

“I have met with a homeowner who was served an eviction notice by EBS, a subsidiary of AIB, of which the State owns the majority shareholding. This is a disgrace and cannot be tolerated by those whose homes are literally falling down around them while the State reneges on promises to provide only partial redress. I suggest that everyone stands up to the banks and the Government in order to get a full and fair redress scheme.

“AIB is currently valued at €7.5bn and the value of the shares owned by the State is approximately €5B. The solution is to ring-fence a 30% stake of the Government’s current holding in AIB. This would yield more than €1.6bn to ensure full and proper restoration of the affected properties. This may seem a drastic measure but for so many people in Donegal the circumstances are truly devastating. This situation needs to be resolved before someone dies either from the collapse of a building or as a result of the stress caused by living in a crumbling home.

“Taxpayers in Donegal, including those whose homes are falling apart, helped fund the bailout of AIB. The shares in this bank should now be used to bail the devastated and heartbroken homeowners out. The money is there, we need to stand strongly together with the homeowners to address the government in the only language it seems to understand.”

Mr Casey said last week’s announcement by Minister Joe McHugh that the existing scheme regulations had been signed off by his ministerial colleagues was a “disingenuous and desperate attempt to save a Fine Gael seat in Donegal”.

“The paltry €40m being made available is not even enough paint over the cracks of the houses affected by mica in Donegal – and that money is to be split between our county and pyrite-affected homes in Mayo. The solution to the problem in Donegal alone is going to cost closer to €1.5bn.”

Peter Casey will be the most responsive TD in Irish history, following the launch today of the independent candidate’s 24-7 constituency helpline – the first of its kind in Ireland.

Mr Casey has launched the new round-the-clock response centre service for constituents ahead of polling day to demonstrate his commitment to “provide an unprecedented level of service to local communities” in the 33rd Dáil.

“The 24-7 response centre is the first of its kind to set up by a political representative in Ireland. It will allow people to raise their issues when it is convenient to them. Constituents who contact us are guaranteed a same-day response to their call from their local TD, should voters trust me with their support this Saturday.”

Mr Casey will also offer face to face meetings via video conferencing for those who are not in a position to travel to his constituency office.

“When elected as a TD, I intend to be the most pro-active and responsive representative in Irish history.

“The new response centre will allow callers to talk with a real person – someone who will gather all of the details, including a constituent’s name and contact, a brief description of the problem, what they would like me to do for them and an appropriate time when I can call them back.

“People deserve more from their TDs. I believe in offering strong representation that is always accessible. People need to know that they have voted for a political representative they can rely on.

“This is the high standard of service that I am committed to delivering as your TD.”

To contact the 24-7 response centre, call 01 482 5826.

Independent candidate Peter Casey has accused the Green Party of hijacking the national environmental debate with “nonsensical policies designed to hit the poorest of rural Ireland hardest”.

Mr Casey singled out the Green Party’s regressive carbon tax proposals and its drive against Irish farmers in the guise of “ill-informed plans to reduce the national herd”.

Mr Casey said: “The Green Party is committed to increasing the cruel and regressive carbon tax each year for the next decade – from the current rate of €26 per tonne to €100 per tonne. The fact is that increasing carbon tax will simply steal more money from the pockets of those who can least afford to pay.

“Our farmers, school teachers and nurses cannot avoid filling up their tanks. People will not get far in electric cars in rural areas like Donegal, where charging stations are very few and far between. And what’s more, the electricity we use is largely produced by burning fossils fuels.

“Carbon tax is not even ring-fenced – it simply goes into the exchequer coffers. The real irony is that the revenue gathered could well end up funding the fuel for the government jet.

“Even the Green Party’s rising star Saoirse McHugh has agreed that it’s a nonsense proposition and fair play to her for that. I expect her to very shortly make a similar statement on the Greens’ plans to decimate the national suckling herd by 50%. I wouldn’t be surprised if Saoirse joins Sinn Fein at some time in the near future because of the Green Party’s ignorance of how rural Ireland actually works.

“Proposals to decimate the suckling herd is a further attack on our farmers. They are ill-informed in that they follow an EU deal to massively increase the global carbon footprint of beef by throwing open the floodgates to beef imports from Brazil.

“Moving production to Brazil – where rainforests are being razed for pasture land – will mean a Brazilian cow is at least four times less environmentally friendly than a Donegal cow.

“Price cuts, financial difficulties, veganism and global warming fears have all contributed to the crisis in Irish beef and dairy production. There are more than 9,000 farmers in Donegal and more than 38% are suckler farmers.

“Farming accounts for 43% of the landmass in Donegal, the majority of which is made up of small farmholds which are dependent on beef production and CAP payments. We all care about the environment but the answer is not to target our farmers – the people who are the backbone of rural Ireland.”

Independent candidate Peter Casey says medical specialists should pay zero tax to ensure Ireland attracts the consultants needed to cut “out of control” waiting lists.

Mr Casey said people in rural counties such as Donegal are being “hardest hit and are paying with their lives” because of the HSE’s inability to entice the specialists needed into regional hospitals.

He is backing calls for a reversal of the salary cuts imposed on new consultants appointed since 2012. He also supports scrapping the “ludicrous” HSE recruitment embargo enforced by the government.

Mr Casey said: “Reduced pay for new consultants has resulted in a two-tier pay system that has led to the drain of our best young medical specialists to other countries. The health minister’s recruitment embargo is further putting lives at risk and this is highlighted in Donegal by the shameful failure to provide an Acute Stroke Unit for Letterkenny University Hospital. It’s disgraceful that the government is blocking recruitment of the specialist staff needed to run the existing facility in Letterkenny.”

Mr Casey added: “There’s a general consensus in this country that we need around 1,000 more medical consultants specialising in various fields.

“I fully back the Irish Hospital Consultants Association’s (IHCA) plea for the restoration of pay parity for new consultants.

“I propose that we offer essential medical specialists a zero percent tax rate for the next ten years should they choose to return or relocate to Ireland to serve our regional general hospitals.

“This solution will cost us €50m to €60m a year to provide 1,000 new consultants. The money that these consultants then put back into our economy via the purchase goods and services – and the VAT that’s paid on those – will mean this initiative to save Irish lives will cost us virtually nothing.

“We should treat consultants just like we treated artists a number of years ago – after all they are the fine artists of the medical profession.

“People are waiting far too long to see consultants in Donegal and throughout Ireland – they are literally dying on waiting lists. Immediate action that is based on smart business sense needs to be taken to address this consultancy crisis.”

Ireland will not even begin to feel the “devastating force of Brexit” until Britain implements its new immigration quota system, says independent candidate Peter Casey.

Mr Casey said it was disingenuous of Ireland’s political representatives to deliver a message that the ‘Brexit deal’ will protect Irish interests.

“Leo Varadkar said in a recent tv debate that Brexit was half done. Although Brexit Day is upon us, the real Brexit has not even started. Brexit will start on the day that Boris Johnston implements his new system to control immigration into Britain. This is a system similar to those in place in Australia and New Zealand – and when it comes in to force in Britain, Ireland will be overwhelmed by the free movement of people arriving here from within the EU.

“We will be the only fully English-speaking country left in Europe, so it stands to reason that Ireland will be the only realistic destination for many people who would previously have gone to Britain. Around 250,000 people from within the EU came to Britain last year – if 25% of that number were to come to Ireland it would be more than 60,000 people per year.

“It is a simple fact that we do not have the infrastructure here to cope with a large influx of people. We don’t have the ability to house the people already here or provide healthcare services and facilities that are fit for purpose. It is disingenuous at best of the politicians of Ireland to not recognise the facts of the devastating force of Brexit.”

Independent candidate Peter Casey has branded the announcement that the government has approved a Donegal mica redress scheme as “cynical vote-catching nonsense”.

Mr Casey said people in the county would view the announcement by the Education Minister and Donegal TD Joe McHugh as yet another empty promise on a scheme which is “totally inadequate in any regard”.

“How naive does the minister think the people of Donegal are? How insulting is it to the long-suffering people living in mica-affected houses that this so-called deal is supposedly signed-off in the mouth of a general election – an election in which the minister’s Dáil seat is in very real jeopardy.

“If the minister can get his colleagues to sign off on a resolution for the mica problem now, why couldn’t they have spared Donegal people so much heartache and delivered it four years ago?

“The paltry €40m being made available is not even enough to paint the number of houses affected by mica in Donegal – and that money is to be split between our county and pyrite-affected homes in Mayo. The solution to the problem in Donegal alone is going to cost closer to €1.5bn.

“The real solution here is to ring-fence a 30% stake of the Government’s current holding in AIB. This would yield more than €1.6bn to ensure full and proper restoration of the affected properties.

“Taxpayers in Donegal, including those whose homes are falling apart, helped fund the bailout of AIB. The shares in this bank should now be used to bail out the devastated and heartbroken homeowners.

“This announcement by the minister today is a cruel and deceitful, politically-motivated manoeuvre designed only to fool voters. It is cynical, vote-catching nonsense. I can assure the minister that the people of Donegal will not be taken in by this disingenuous and desperate attempt to save his seat in Donegal.”

Government neglect of Donegal schools is one good reason why people will “say no to Joe” at the polls, according to independent candidate Peter Casey.

Mr Casey said that as a local TD and as Education Minister, Joe McHugh has failed to stand up to Fine Gael’s long-term “policy of neglect” towards Donegal.

Mr Casey made the comments as he joined Crana College pupils and teachers in a march to highlight the urgency for the delivery of a long-awaited three-school campus for Buncrana. He added that Mr McHugh was “notably absent from the protest march”.

Mr Casey said: “Our young people are being failed by the Department of Education and I applaud the pupils and teachers of Crana College in taking this stand. It’s shameful that they feel compelled to leave lessons and take to the streets because their school has been let down for more than two decades. It’s shocking to think that these pupils weren’t even born when Crana College first sought the new facilities they are still waiting for.

“Buncrana was promised a new three-school campus to incorporate Crana College, Gaelcholáiste Chineál Eoghain and Gaelscoil Bhun Cranncha, and site selection began almost 15 years ago. The preferred location was agreed by all concerned, but the Government’s dithering resulted in the site being sold to a third party. People are right to be angry and frustrated at this shocking level of neglect.

“Joe McHugh is the current Minister for Education in this country and he is well aware that pupils and teachers across Donegal are suffering in overcrowded conditions, temporary accommodation and inadequate facilities.
“Just down the road my home, Moville Community College has been waiting 16 years for a new permanent school building to replace existing prefabs. Nearby, Gaelscoil Cois Feabhail has been waiting almost 20 years for a new school build. There are many other local schools in similarly dire circumstances.

“The poor conditions in and lack of funding for so many of our schools in Donegal is one very good reason why voters should say no to Joe next Saturday. The next government must not only commit but also fully deliver on promises – let’s get things done by providing proper education facilities for Donegal.
“This is another example of how Donegal is ignored and forgotten. This would not be happening in Kerry. The Healy Raes would not tolerate this nonsense.”

Independent candidate Peter Casey has pledged to get things done “around the clock for Donegal constituents” with the introduction of a 24-7 TD clinic service.

Mr Casey is to set-up a 24-7 clinic helpline and promises “a same-day response” to constituent queries. He will also offer face to face meetings via video conferencing for those who do not want the inconvenience of having to travel.

He said that as Donegal’s independent TD, he will employ communications technology to “add value” to the traditional service for those he will be representing.

“My door will always be open for the people of Donegal as their independent representative in Dáil Éireann – and I mean 24-7. Of course, people will always be welcome to attend in person during office hours, but for many this may not be an option.

“My office will be always-on for people when they need representation. I pledge to be accessible to the people of Donegal and to work hard on their behalf as a reliable and efficient TD with a business approach to politics.

“With this new method of public representation for Donegal, constituents will also be able contact us anytime of the day or night.

“This is the level of service that I believe the people of Donegal deserve from their TD and it the standard I am committed to delivering,” he said.

Independent candidate Peter Casey has said the Government should sell its AIB shares in order to fund Mica redress in Donegal.

Lambasting the Government for dithering on the delivery of the long-awaited Mica redress scheme, Mr Casey said selling shares in AIB would provide a perfect funding solution.

“Taxpayers in Donegal, including those whose homes are falling apart, helped fund the bailout of AIB. The bank is owned and controlled by the Government’s majority shareholding and those shares should be sold to fund the restoration, repair or rebuild of homes in Donegal.

“In 2017, the Government sold just under 29% of its 99% shareholding in AIB for €3.4bn. I’m calling on them to sell another tranche of shares to address this devastating crisis for so many Donegal families. They could sell enough to cover a full and fair redress scheme and still hold the controlling stake in AIB,” he said.
Mr Casey added that the €40 million promised by the Government falls “way short of the many hundreds of millions of euro needed to address the living nightmare of crumbling homes” in the county.

He said: “Homes are literally falling apart in Donegal and the Government has dragged its heels to the extent that lives are being put at risk. I have visited family homes in Inishowen that are on the brink of collapse due to crumbling blockwork and it is heartbreaking for them. It is causing incredible mental anguish and stress for people. One man, who lives in one of the worst affected homes I have seen, told me that he can literally hear his home creaking at night.

“This has to be the most immediate issue for any person hoping to be returned as a TD in Donegal – including our county’s own Government minister Joe McHugh.
“The problem affects thousands of homeowners, families and businesses whose walls are literally falling apart right across Donegal.

“Dozens of families in affected homes across the county will not have a house to call home at the end of this election campaign. That is the harsh reality facing these families while our Government dithers on delivery of the scheme,” Mr Casey said.

“February 8 will afford people the opportunity to stand up and be counted in the ballot box on this issue. The people of Donegal are tired of the same old rhetoric from this Government – promising funds and failing to deliver. Not one penny of the promised €40 million has been delivered and not one house has been fixed under the scheme,” he added.
5,000 homes are registered under the Mica redress scheme at present.

“A house, for the majority of people, is the single biggest investment they will make in their lifetime. Thousands are crumbling in the county and it is taking a toll on the health and well-being of many families. It is past time that the redress money needed is delivered to the people of Donegal, so that they can sleep safe in their beds at night,” Mr Casey added.

Mr Casey said he is committed to working hard to ensure that redress for those affected is rolled out as soon as possible.
ENDS