Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
1937. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the proposed pyrite scheme; the details of same; the funding in place for the scheme; when it is due to commence; the way in which a homeowner can apply for the scheme; the number of homes that will be accepted to the scheme; the criteria needed to be granted a place on the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34969/19]
View answerIn October 2018, the Government approved in principle the development of a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo to carry out the necessary remediation works to dwellings that have been damaged due to defective concrete blocks.
In May 2019, agreement was reached with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to allocate €20 million to a scheme for this purpose from within the €2.4 billion housing budget for 2019. Funding for future years will be agreed on an annual basis as part of the normal Estimates process.
The full terms and conditions of the scheme are being finalised, again in consultation with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This process will take account of the engagement that my Department is currently having with both Donegal and Mayo County Councils. In this regard, officials from my Department continue to meet with both local authority teams to discuss implementation arrangements for the scheme and further engagement will take place over the coming weeks.
On completion of this work, it is intended to revert to Government on the matter. The aim will be to complete the outstanding work without delay in order to ensure that the scheme can get underway as early as possible.
