Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
510. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm plans to open an enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme for local authority houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40044/23]
View answerI commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The new scheme is now open to applications in four counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick and Mayo 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/ .
Section 36 of the Act provides that the Government may make a further Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an approved housing body to remedy damage caused to dwellings by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction. The grant rates for this local authority and approved housing body DCB scheme shall be the same as the enhanced DCB grant scheme.
In order to inform the necessary administrative and governance arrangements to be put in place prior to the roll out of this local authority and approved housing body scheme, my Department is developing a pilot scheme. This will include the four designated local authorities under the 2022 Act and my Department is also in discussions with a view to involving homes from the Approved Housing Body sector in the pilot.
