Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
362. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason he has extended the pyrite mediation scheme to County Limerick while refusing to do the same for homeowners affected by pyrite in County Clare. [28751/20]
View answerThe Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency.
The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive pyrite in the subfloor hardcore material and not to damage arising in any other circumstance, e.g. such as pyrite in concrete blocks.
The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” for affected homeowners who have no other practical option to obtain redress and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website, www.pyriteboard.ie.
The scheme is applicable to dwellings, which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established, in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2017 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In this regard, 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. This ensures that, having regard to the available resources, the focus of the scheme is on dwellings which are most severely damaged by pyritic heave. There are no proposals to provide for further financial assistance outside of the scheme.
Any proposal to amend the scheme is, in the first instance, a matter for the Pyrite Resolution Board and any such proposal would require detailed consideration of the evidence. The recommendations of the Pyrite Panel, which informed the establishment of the pyrite remediation scheme, were premised on a number of pertinent factors.
As a minimum, in order to consider the appropriateness or otherwise of amending the scheme, I understand that the Board would require a report addressing the following information: -
- the extent and severity of damage to dwellings in the local authority area caused by pyritic heave in the subfloor hardcore;
- verification, if available, that the damage has been caused by pyrite;
- the background to the occurrence of the damage;
- details of any structural warranty policies for the dwellings;
- the history of the estate’s construction, numbers, type of dwellings etc;
- the source of the hardcore supplied to dwellings in the estate; and
- any supporting geological assessments.
In addition to the above, the Board may also make such further enquiries as it considers necessary in order to assist it in considering the matter. In this regard, it would be advisable for the residents to confirm the nature of the pyrite problems in the area and that any problems identified stem from reactive pyrite in the subfloor hardcore material which is giving rise to pyritic heave and consequential significant pyritic damage.
I understand that the Pyrite Resolution Board received such a report in respect of pyrite in the hardcore in a number of dwellings in Limerick. The Board, in accordance with section 13 of the Act, subsequently submitted a proposal to include Limerick City and County Council area in the Pyrite Remediation Scheme to me, as Minister. Following consideration of the matter, I extended the pyrite remediation scheme to include the administrative area of Limerick City and County Council, which will see homeowners of dwellings with significant damage attributable to pyritic heave in County Limerick eligible to apply for remediation works under the Pyrite Remediation Scheme.
As I understand it, no such report has been received by the Board in respect of pyrite in the hardcore in dwellings in County Clare.
I would encourage the relevant parties to fully engage with the Board as early as possible to facilitate this process. The Board may be contacted by phone at Lo call 1890 252842 or by email to: info@pyriteboard.ie , or alternatively at: oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie.
I will consider any amendments or extensions which the Pyrite Resolution Board consider are required to the Scheme once submitted to me in accordance with the requirements of the Act. I fully intend on ensuring that ultimately all eligible homeowners of dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave can have their homes remediated under the scheme.
