Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
376. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports that are available to homeowners effected by pyrite that are not eligible for the remediation scheme due to the damage to their home being assessed as grade 1. [8146/22]
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 pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” 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.
As matters currently stand, the owners of dwellings located within the counties of Kildare, Meath or Offaly or the administrative areas of Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council or Limerick City and County Council, are eligible to apply for remediation works under the scheme.
€20m has been allocated in 2022 to cover the continued implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. This allocation will facilitate the remediation of some 280 additional dwellings and is a clear signal of the continuing importance attached by Government to addressing the issue of significant pyritic damage in private dwellings. This will bring to approx. €186m the total funding provided under the scheme since 2014.
The latest figures available indicate that 3,075 applications have been received under Scheme and, so far, 2,535 dwellings have been included. A further 130 applications have been validated and referred to the Housing Agency for the Assessment and Verification Process, 99 applications are at the initial Application and Validation Process and 311 applications were not successful. Of the 2,535 dwellings included, the works in respect of 2,309 are complete with the rest at various stages of progress.
