Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2016
259. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will review the pyrite remediation scheme to deal with the issue of category one homeowners and others that find themselves in limbo due to the fact they live in a pyrite estate. [40106/16]
View answer260. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of category one pyrite-affected homes. [40107/16]
View answer262. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if a review is under way of the pyrite remediation scheme. [40109/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 259, 260 and 262 together.
The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme by the Pyrite Resolution Board for certain dwellings affected by significant pyrite damage. The Report of the Pyrite Panel (June 2012) provided the overarching framework for the pyrite remediation scheme and its eligibility criteria are broadly reflective of the conclusions and recommendations of that report. The independent Pyrite Panel was clear in its view that only dwellings with significant damage due to pyritic heave should be remediated and that it would be unreasonable to expect dwellings not exhibiting such damage to be remediated unless or until they exhibit significant pyritic damage. This remains the position with regard to dwellings which do not display significant pyritic damage.
The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. Dwellings which do not have a Damage Condition Rating of 2 are not eligible to apply under the scheme. I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion nor do I propose to review the scheme in this regard.
Given that the scheme does not apply to dwellings which have a Damage Condition Rating of 1, the Pyrite Resolution Board does not maintain records on the number of properties that fall into this category. Nevertheless, the Board is aware that 10 dwellings, which had a Damage Condition Rating of 1 when their building condition assessments were first completed, and which were refused under the scheme, have now progressed to a Damage Condition Rating of 2; these dwellings have now been included in the pyrite remediation scheme following the submission of new applications.
