Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
561. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline in detail the way a property owner in Dublin who has certified mica and-or pyrite in the defective blocks of their home can apply for the defective concrete block grant scheme; if he will set out the method of application in a step-by-step format; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1665/23]
View answerThe purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the 2022 Act) is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the grant scheme as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021.
The 2022 Act has currently designated 4 local authorities for inclusion in the Enhanced DCB Scheme, namely Clare, Donegal, Limerick City and County and Mayo County Councils.
Section 5 of the 2022 Act contains details on the process for the inclusion of additional local authority areas into the Enhanced DCB Grant Scheme, which, it should be noted, may include a request by a local authority to the Housing Agency, and whereby the Housing Agency thereafter carries out testing of dwellings. As soon as practicable after the completion of any testing, The Housing Agency shall make a recommendation to me that an order should or should not be made by the Government to designate the whole or part of a local authority's administrative area.
Work on drafting the necessary Regulations to facilitate the commencement of the 2022 Act is ongoing and the Regulations will provide for all matters within the Act which are to be prescribed including but not limited to the grant rates, damage threshold, and the form and content of various reports, certificates, forms, and declarations. It is intended to roll out the new scheme in early 2023, following consultation with key stakeholders through the liaison officer I have appointed.
My Department recently published a comprehensive and updated “Your Questions Answered” document on the Department’s website to ensure homeowners have the most up to date information available to them which can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/775c0-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme-your-questions-answered/
