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Episode 5

Giant cracks have been appearing in thousands of buildings in the west of Ireland as a result of the concrete blocks used in their construction. Andreas Wolff reports.

Tha sgàinidhean mòra air nochdadh ann an taighean air taobh siar na h-Èireann ri lìnn na blocaichean concrait a chaidh a chleachdadh anns na mìltean de thoglaichean air feadh na dùthcha. Mar a tha Andreas Wolff ag aithris, ‘s e gu bheil cus den mhèinneil mica annta is coireach agus tha luchd iomairt a’ strì airson airgead-dìolaidh agus iad cuid a ’ fuireach ann an taighean a tha a-nis ann an cunnart tuiteam.

Tha a dhà uidhir de dhaoine a’ fulang bochdainn connaidh ann an sgìrean dùthchail na ann an sgìrean eile de dh’Alba. Leis a’ gheamhradh air tighinn agus prìsean connaidh ag èirigh, tha Annabel NicIllFhinnein ann an Cataibh is Gallaibh a’ faighneachd de a’ bhuaidh a bhios aige seo air daoine an sin.

Giant cracks have been appearing in thousands of buildings in the west of Ireland as a result of the concrete blocks used in their construction. As Andreas Wolff reports, the cause is the excessive presence of the mineral mica in the blocks and campaigners are demanding 100% compensation for homes that are now in danger of collapsing.

People living in rural areas are twice as likely to experience fuel poverty as other areas of Scotland. With the arrival of winter and rising fuel prices, Annabel Maclennan is Caithness and Sutherland to assess the scale of the problem.

29 minutes

Mica

Mica
Tha na mìltean thaighean air taobh siar na h-Èireann ann an fìor dhroch staid is cuid dhiubh ann an cunnart tuiteam. 'S e an trioblaid gu bheil cus mica sna blocaichean choncrait leis an deach an togail. A rèir riaghailtean togail cha bu chòir ach 1% den mhèinneil sin a bhith ann an stuthan togail, ach chaidh còir agus an deich uidhir a lorg ann an cuid dhiubh. Tha mòran a' coireachadh an riaghaltais airson agus nach do rinn iad sgrùdadh ceart air companaidhean togail. Gheall Riaghaltas na h-Èireann roimhe na seo gum pàigheadh iad suas ri 90% de na cosgaisean gus taighean a chàradh no ag ath-thogail. Ach do mhòran tha na cosgaisean ceangailte ris an sgeama sin ro mhòr agus tha cuid ag ràdh gu bheil iad an dùil a bhith gun dachaigh, rud a bheir uallach mòr orra. Tha an riaghaltas a' coimhead ri sgeama nas fhèarr a thoirt a-steach a dh'aithghearr, ach cha tàinig sin fhathast.

Mica

Mica
Thousands of houses in the west of Ireland are in a bad state and some of them are in danger of collapse. The problem is excessive mica in concrete blocks. According to building regulations materials should only contain 1% of the mineral, but more than ten times this amount has been found in some of them. Many blame the government for not inspecting the building companies adequately. The Irish Government introduced a scheme which pays 90% of repair or rebuilding costs. But for many the costs associated with the scheme are unaffordable. Some people are saying they face homelessness which is causing them great distress. The government are looking to introduce an improved scheme soon, but it hasn't been published, yet.

Bochdainn connaidh

Bochdainn connaidh
Tha bochdainn connaidh a' toirt buaidh air 42% de dhachaighean ann an sgìrean dùthchail na h-Alba. Tha seo an coimeas ri 24% anns a' chòrr dhan dùthaich. 'S e nach eil a' mhòr-chuid ann an sgìrean dùthchail na h-Alba ceangailte ri gas a' phrìomh lìonra an trioblaid as motha. Às aonais, tha aca ri barrachd dealain a chleachdadh airson an dachaighean a theasachadh. Tha sin a' ciallachadh gu bheil iad a' pàigheadh tòrr a bharrachd airson blàths na tha daoine anns na bailtean mòra. Aig a' cheart àm, tha Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd a' cruthachadh barrachd cumhachd ath-nuadhachail na tha ùghdarras ionadail sam bith eile ann an Alba, agus tha mòran aig tuath mì-thoilichte nach eil iadsan a' faighinn a' bhuannachd às. Le prìsean cumhachd air a dhol an-àirde agus draghan ann gun èirich iad a-rithist, tha ·¡Ã²°ù±è²¹ ann an Gallaibh 's ann an Cataibh, a' faighinn a-mach mun bhuaidh a th' aig bochdainn connaidh air sgìrean dùthchail na h-Alba.

Fuel poverty

Fuel poverty
42% of households in rural Scotland are living in fuel poverty. This compares to 24% of households in the rest of the country. The problem for most rural households is that they aren't connected to mains gas. They rely more heavily on electricity for heat and therefore end up paying more than those in urban areas. At the same time, Highland Council produces more renewable energy than any other local authority in Scotland. Many people in the north are unhappy that they do not benefit from this. Energy prices have risen and they are expected to rise again. ·¡Ã²°ù±è²¹ is in Caithness and Sutherland to find out about the impact fuel poverty has on rural Scotland.

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