Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 May 2023
133. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of 100% redress for Mica-affected homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23509/23]
View answerThe purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act'), as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021, is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme.
It should be noted that the scheme, as approved by the Oireachtas in the 2022 Act, is not a compensation or redress scheme, and the State has admitted no liability in this regard. Rather, it is a Remediation Grant scheme of last resort, put in place by the Government to voluntarily assist homeowners.
The 2022 Act which contains the enhanced grant scheme will be commenced as soon as related Regulations are completed, which Regulations provide details for the enhanced scheme not included in the 2022 Act such as per square metre grant rates and the definition of damage. The draft Regulations are also the subject of ongoing consultation with key stakeholders, including with homeowners’ action groups, which consultation must be concluded before the Regulations will be finalised and adopted which I expect to conclude this month.
The overall scheme cost, excluding inflation, is estimated at €2.15Bn. The 2022 Act provides for a maximum grant of €420,000. The grant applicable to an individual homeowner will depend on the appropriate remediation option determined by the Housing Agency and the maximum grant available for the dwelling given its size or the amount of blockwork to be removed and replaced and the grant rates in place at that time.
Section 11 of the Act provides for an increase or decrease in remediation and ancillary grant amounts. These amounts can be revised by Government order not more than once every 12 months. Three such orders can be made and thereafter a resolution of the Oireachtas will be required for the making a maximum of three further orders. The maximum overall increase in the overall grant cap which can be applied by the Minister in any single order is 10%.
As set out in Section 11 (6) of the Act, in making an order to increase or decrease, regard will be given to construction costs prevailing in the designated local authority areas and the economic circumstances of the State prevailing at the time of the making of the order.
