Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I spoke to the Taoiseach last week about the defective concrete blocks situation and what needed to be done there. Today, I raise with him a similar issue. His Government promised to introduce a redress scheme for homeowners living with Celtic tiger-era building defects. Legislation was published last year and emergency funding was to be made available for fire safety works. I am making this contribution on behalf of Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, my party president. I visited homeowners across the country, including in her constituency, who are impacted by serious fire safety and structural defects.

No legislation was published in 2022, and eventually in December 2023 almost one year after it was promised, applications for emergency funding were opened for owners' management companies. Since then, more than 130 OMCs have applied for this funding for essential fire safety works. However, to date not a single cent has been provided. As with so many other Government schemes the fund was announced and opened before the Minister had his homework done. Will the Taoiseach provide an update as to why this emergency funding has been delayed and when it will be paid out? Will he also confirm that the long-promised legislation underpinning the wider scheme will be published and whether that scheme will open in 2024 or 2025?

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