The residents of Dolphin House launched their first monitoring report on the realisation of their right to adequate housing under the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) on 5 October 2010. As reported in a previous PILA Bulletin the Rialto Rights in Action group held a human rights hearing in May outlining how the residents are attempting to vindicate their human rights under ICESCR, which Ireland has ratified. They claimed that the damp, mould and sewage conditions in which they live violate their right to adequate housing. Dr Maurice Manning, president of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and Dr Padraic Kenna NUIG lecturer specialising in housing law corroborated the residents' case at the hearing last May.
The group set indicators for Dublin City Council to meet at various points within a year to improve the housing conditions and ensure the residents' right to adequate housing is being met. Comparing results of the survey taken in May to one taken at the end of September the report showed an increase in residents reporting damp (from 72% to 77%) and mould (64% to 66%) with an unacceptable proportion still reporting sewerage in their baths, sinks and washing machines (88%).
Results of an independent analysis by Tobin Consulting Engineers of the water that had come up through the plug holes of sinks and baths in the flat complex found the levels of faecal coliforms were consistent with those found in raw sewage. Dublin City Council's acting assistant city manager Martin Kavanagh told residents that the council had over the summer instituted a programme of "rodding" to clear out waste-water pipes, which had resulted in fewer complaints in relation to sewage blockages. Two corroded waste-water pipes had been identified as being in need of full replacement and estimates were being sought for their replacement. However, Mr Kavanagh said the regeneration of the complex was not a prospect in the short or medium term.
Dr Manning attended the meeting, as did Minister of State for Equality, Integration and Human Rights Mary White, who said she would work to resolve the residents' issues. The group formally requested the IHRC to hold an enquiry into the housing conditions in Dolphin House and will continue to monitor standards with a second report due in January 2011.
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