Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 June 2023
89. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 32246/17, if he plans to update the building standards and building classifications, as he called for in 2017, to allow for the introduction of a green certificate for homes where there is negligible pyrite and no physical damage, in order that houses can be sold. [31582/23]
View answerReferences to “red”, “amber” and “green” as originally referred to in the Report of the Pyrite Panel (June 2012) and I.S. 398-1:2013 have been removed in I.S. 398-1:2017, which was introduced in August, 2017 and replaced its predecessor.
I.S. 398-1:2017 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and Categorisation Protocol, sets out the process for assessing and determining whether a building has been damaged by reactive pyrite, or is likely to be in the future and it categorises the building.
Building categories A, B, C, and D have been redefined in terms of the extent of susceptibility to expansion of the hardcore material in the sub-floor and the potential for future damage to the building from pyritic heave.
Buildings are categorised by means of a ‘Certificate of Building Categorisation for Reactive Pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material’ as per Annex B of I.S. 398-1:2017, based on the results of the Building Condition Assessment and the classification of the hardcore material.
To obtain a Category A Certificate following assessment under the requirements of I.S. 398-1:2017 (previously referred to as a "green" Certificate) the building must have a;
- Damage Condition Rating of 0 and hardcore which has negligible susceptibility to expansion; or
- Damage Condition Rating of 1(with or without progression) or 2, and hardcore which has negligible susceptibility to expansion and also has an alternative probable cause for the damage.
The Category A certificate is issued in respect of dwellings that have been assessed, at the request of the homeowner, in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2017. The issuing of such certificates is a matter entirely for the homeowner and the professional they engage; it is not part of the pyrite remediation scheme.
The pyrite remediation scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave, established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2017. 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.
Any proposal to amend the scheme is, in the first instance, a matter for the Pyrite Resolution Board and any such proposal would require detailed consideration of the evidence.
