Sinn Fein is calling on Mayo County Council to withdraw the refusal letter sent to about 20 Mayo residents seeking access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme.

Mayo TD, Rose Conway-Walsh, spent the day visiting the homes affected and speaking with the individuals and families who were refused access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme.

She said: "There is visible evidence of pyrites and pattern cracking. This has been confirmed by designated engineers and laboratory testing of the bricks.

"People are genuinely shocked that after paying for designated engineers and testing, in order to meet the application requirements of the scheme, they have simply been denied without adequate explanation.

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"People do not enter into this costly process unless they have real concern their house is built with defective blocks. No one wants the words pyrite or mica associated with their home.

"I have been engaging with Mayo County Council, as well as the Minister for Housing, seeking clarity as to how homes clearly effected by pyrite can be classified as undamaged in the building group table 1 of the relevant protocol – IS465:2018.

"By taking this course of action Mayo County Council are undermining the integrity of the recently set up pyrite and mica working group and the ongoing negotiations.

"It also calls into question to administration of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme if homeowners can meet all of the stated criteria and still be denied access to the scheme.

"When we see this happening, it is hard not to conclude that the motivation is to reduce the number of applicants onto the scheme.

"We have situations where one house in an estate is given access to the scheme and another a few doors down is being denied.

"Mayo County Council need to rectify the situation immediately by withdrawing the letters of refusal."