Defective Building Materials

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023

Tuesday, 7 November 2023

Ceisteanna (654)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Ceist:

654. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 305 of 10 October 2023, when his Department will establish an oversight committee to address the defective block crisis that meets regularly and includes all the relevant stakeholders, including homeowner representatives, local authorities, banks, financial institutions and insurance sector, engineers, chartered surveyors, the Housing Agency, etc., as agreed in principle in engagements with the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, such committee having a broader remit than the Banking Working Group referred to in my previous question, which would only focus on the contribution that the banks can make to the remediation of homes affected by defective blocks. [48071/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Darragh O'Brien)

The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) which contains the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant Scheme commenced on 22 June 2023 the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023. The final regulations were the result of an extended and extensive amount of consultation with key stakeholders particularly local authorities and Homeowner Action Groups through the homeowner liaision officer.

I have established an Implementation Steering Group to work through issues around the DCB scheme as they arise and make recommendations if further changes to the regulations or guidelines on the Scheme are needed. The Group comprises the relevant local authorities, my Department, the Housing Agency, and the Homeowner's Liaison Officer. It has met in August, September, October and November with the next meeting scheduled for the end of the month. This Group will report directly to me and will prepare a report on the first six months of operation of the scheme.

There are no plans, at this point, to extend the group beyond the current makeup. I am satisfied that the various channels of engagement that are currently operating ensure that the views of all relevant stakeholders can, and are being heard. In particular the concerns of the homeowners come to my Department through Mr. John O'Connor the Homeowner Liaision Officer. My Department remains fully committed to continuing to engage with a broad array of stakeholders through existing fora to assist it in determining the best option to provide a mechanism for dealing with DCB related issues that arise.