Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
607. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the introduction of emergency funding for interim fire safety works in buildings with fire safety and other defects; the amount of funding that will be made available this year; how it will be accessed; when the funding scheme will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47524/23]
View answer608. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the portal within the Housing Agency for people with defective homes to access information and funding for remedial works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47525/23]
View answer609. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update in relation to the provision of interim funding to allow for the commencement of emergency fire safety works in buildings with identified fire safety defects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47526/23]
View answer625. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when funding will be available for interim and emergency fire safety works for homeowners with Celtic Tiger-era building defects. [47557/23]
View answer626. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the draft legislation for the Celtic Tiger-era building defects redress scheme will be published. [47558/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 607, 608, 609, 625 and 626 together.
Since the receipt of Government approval in January of this year, I have been working to progress the various programmes of work that are required to place the scheme to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013 on a statutory footing.
The Housing Agency will play a central role in the remediation scheme when it becomes operational. It launched an Expression of Interest Portal on its website in July 2023 which serves as a platform for Owners' Management Companies (OMCs) to share information about their developments with The Housing Agency. The Housing Agency have also included resource links on its website. I strongly encourage OMCs to indicate their potential interest in the future remediation scheme by inputting information on their developments on the portal. It should be noted that this portal, which is subject to conditions of use, is not a formal registration mechanism for the future remediation scheme.
My Department is working closely with the Housing Agency and key stakeholders to facilitate the provision of funding for interim fire safety measures on an administrative basis. I expect to be in a position to announce more details of this in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, work is advancing to prepare the required legislation, which will include the scope, eligibility and conditions of the remediation scheme. While I am working on the development of the scheme as a matter of priority, sufficient time is required to draft the legislation to ensure that the scheme is fit for purpose, provides value for tax payer’s money and contains appropriate oversight and governance measures. It is expected the draft legislation will be published in 2024. It is intended that subject to the legislative process, the statutory scheme will be in place shortly thereafter
