Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
521. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assistance that his Department can provide to Donegal County Council to assist it with an emergency housing plan to address the crisis presented by mica defective blocks over the time ahead particularly in the northern half of the county. [1398/22]
View answerThe Government agreed an enhanced €2.2bn Defective Concrete Block scheme on 30 November 2021. The comprehensive changes include:
- The current 90% maximum grant will be increased to a 100% grant for all remediation options 1-5
- The maximum grant cap for option 1 (demolition and rebuild) will be increased to €420,000 from €247,500
- The grant calculation methodology for Option 1 remediation will be based on the cost per square foot (psf) of rebuilding the existing home, with costings to be set by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage after receipt of advice on construction costs from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) . An indicative rate of €145 per square foot is set for the first 1,000 sq foot based on SCSI methodology with a sliding scale thereafter.
- A revised application process will be introduced which will only require the homeowner to submit an initial ‘Building Condition Assessment’ at minimal cost recoupable on entry to the Scheme.
The Housing Agency will take over testing, sampling and categorisation of remedial works.
- Alternative accommodation and storage costs are to be included, subject to a maximum of €20,000
- In relation to works carried out under remediation options 2-5, a second grant option, will be available for such a home in the future if blockwork which was not removed as part of the initial remediation work subsequently proves defective in accordance with the IS:465 standard
- A new independent appeals process will be introduced
- The Scheme will be extended beyond the current scope of Principal Private Residences only, to also cover Residential Tenancies Board registered rental properties, subject to the introduction of a clawback mechanism upon re-sale within a set time period depending on the remediation option used. Opportunities for the State to acquire such rental properties for social housing purposes will also be examined.
Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/.
The grant scheme covers up to 100% of the costs associated with the qualifying works deemed necessary for the remediation of the relevant dwelling (subject to cost per square foot and maximum expenditure limits), and includes the funding for alternative accommodation costs, subject to a maximum of €15,000, which addresses the issue of accommodation costs while the property is being remediated.
Separately, as part of the enhanced measures announced with regard to the Defective Concrete Block grant scheme, work is continuing within my Department to progress implementation of the Government decision of the 30th November, 2021 to introduce a parallel grant process for local authority and approved housing body owned social homes impacted by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction.
Work is ongoing in my Department to bring forward the legislative requirements necessary to provide for the enhanced scheme.
