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Defective Building Materials

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Questions (751, 752)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

751. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the situation of residents in County Mayo being denied access to the defective concrete blocks scheme despite having independent engineering reports that pyrite is present in their home; the criteria that must be met in order to access the scheme; the process a county council must follow in order to make a judgement that a home is not eligible despite the presence of pyrite and if it requires an engineering report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40917/21]

View answer

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

752. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if it is his position that all homes with defective blocks in which pattern cracking is not present should be classified as group 1 undamaged in the building group table 1 of IS465;2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40918/21]

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Written answers

Mayo County Council has responsibility for the detailed administration of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme in Mayo. This includes the assessment of applications for eligibility and payment of grants to successful applicants under the specific remediation option approved.

Homeowners may apply to the local authority seeking confirmation of eligibility for the scheme. As part of this application process, an approved engineer's report in accordance with I.S. 465:2018 is required. The report confirms the existence or otherwise of excessive amounts of pyrite or mica in the blockwork which have given rise to defective concrete blocks and is based on a visual inspection, core sampling and laboratory testing which is carried out by the engineer employed by the homeowner.

  While an engineer's report informs a local authority's consideration and assessment of a grant application, the final decision on eligibilty for the scheme in accordance with I.S. 465:2018 and the level of funding approved rests with the local authority. In the event that an application is unsuccessful, the applicant may appeal the decision through the relevant local authority. A local authority official who was not involved with the original assessment will then assess this appeal and contact the applicant with the result within six weeks.

In response to concerns being raised by homeowners in relation to the Defective Concrete Block Grant scheme, I established a time-bound working group, with representatives from my Department, the local authorities and homeowner representative groups who are tasked with reviewing the operation of the scheme and providing a report with recommendations by 31 July.

Engagement with the Working Group is on-going and in line with a request of homeowners, it was agreed that the timeline for the submission of a report by the Working Group would be extended to the end of September. This will allow for further research on core aspects of the scheme, such as the 90:10 requirement and cap on allowable costs.

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