Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and I intend to progress the legislation before the end of term in order to ensure that we can have the scheme ready for homeowners to access by the end of the year.
The purpose of this Bill is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the scheme as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. Full details can be found at
gov.ie/en/press-release/328d7-minister-obrien-welcomes-progress-on-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/
There has been considerable engagement with homeowner representatives and other key stakeholders on this matter over the last twelve months including;
1. The Working Group on the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme which was established last June and reported in September, 2021 following which Government approved significant enhancements to the scheme.
2. The Expert Group on the enhanced scheme, chaired by Mr. Paul Forde, which reported on a significant number of technical issues which needed to be considered and advised upon.
3. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) which prepared a construction cost report for remediation works under the scheme the findings of which have been accepted in full by Government and incorporated in the grant rates under the enhanced scheme.
4. Submissions from Engineers Ireland to my Department on the issue.
5. Submissions by homeowners to my Department on the issue as well as considerable and ongoing engagement with them through Mr. John O’Connor, former Chief Executive of the Housing Agency, who I appointed as a homeowner liaison officer.
6. Engagement by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) with a number of reviews relevant to the defective concrete blocks issue including:
- the I.S. 465 standard for the testing assessment and categorisation of homes impacted by defective blockwork including the potential impact of additional deleterious materials e.g. pyrrhotite,
- the adequacy or otherwise of the existing foundations in homes impacted by defective concrete blocks,
- the national standard for concrete blocks (including aggregates), and
- the potential impact, if any, of full cavity fill insulation on homes impacted by defective concrete blocks.
The extension of the scheme to other local authority areas was considered as part of wider deliberations on the Scheme by Government. I, as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, may, with Government approval, extend the scheme to additional counties, where the evidence supports such an extension and I have recently made such a recommendation to Government with respect to Clare and Limerick.
