Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2024
405. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applicants who have applied for the defective concrete block scheme grant in Carlow; when he expects the first grants to be issued to those applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16608/24]
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/.
When a local authority that is not designated under the Scheme determines through the established mechanisms that homes within their functional area have been damaged by defective concrete blocks, they can seek to have the scheme extended to include any such county or part of such county.
Section 5 of the Act contains details on this process. This statutory designation process can commence upon a request by a local authority or by myself, as Minister, to The Housing Agency. The Agency thereafter carries out technical testing of dwellings in a given local authority administrative area. As soon as practicable after the completion of any testing, The Housing Agency shall make a recommendation to me whether an order to designate the whole or part of a local authority's administrative area should or should not be made by the Government.
I understand that The Housing Agency met with Carlow County Council staff last month and The Housing Agency envisage commencing concrete block sampling and testing on a small number of damaged dwellings in County Carlow in May 2024.
