Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 July 2023
99. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has concerns that the MICA defective block scheme does not cover 100% redress for affected homeowners and that many affected homeowners will be excluded from accessing the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33119/23]
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 previous grant scheme including increasing the current 90% maximum grant to a 100% grant for all remediation options available subject to the overall cap and grant rates.
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 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 block work to be removed and replaced.
I commenced the 2022 Act on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.
The enhanced grant scheme is now open to applications with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/8002e-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/. I am satisfied that the scheme will cover the costs of remediation for the vast majority of homeowners who qualify for the scheme.
