Mr. Bob Jordan:

I thank committee members for the opportunity to speak to them today. I am the CEO of the Housing Agency. I am joined by my colleague, Mr. Peadar Espey, programme manager for the defective concrete blocks grant scheme. The Housing Agency is a Government body that supports the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities, and approved housing bodies, AHBs, in the delivery of housing services and solutions. Our work is framed under three broad themes: being a centre for housing and technical knowledge, supporting the delivery of Government programmes, and building capacity to address complex issues within the housing sector.

The agency's work that is most relevant to today's discussion is our experience in delivering the pyrite remediation scheme. We have delivered that scheme on behalf of the Pyrite Resolution Board since 2014. This involves carrying out the remediation of homes damaged due to pyritic heave caused by the swelling of hardcore underground floor slabs. The Housing Agency has gained a lot of technical knowledge in delivering the scheme. We are also acutely aware of the difficulties and disruption endured by homeowners whose homes have been damaged by pyrite, and we have set out to provide a service that is sympathetic, transparent and efficient. By the end of 2021, just under 2,300 homes had been remediated. We expect to remediate a further 300 homes, approximately, this year.

On the scheme under discussion today, the Housing Agency does not have a role under the current grant scheme but we have been asked to support homeowners and local authorities under the enhanced scheme announced by the Minister last November. The local authorities are the scheme's administrators. They are responsible for processing grant applications and for communicating decisions to homeowners. The Housing Agency's role is to act as agents of the local authorities. Once a local authority has validated a homeowner's grant application, we will assess the application by conducting a technical review of the building condition assessment report prepared by the homeowner's engineer. The first step will be to determine if the home has met the damage threshold for entry to the grant scheme. If the damage threshold has been met, the second step will be to prioritise homes for assessment, sampling, testing and categorisation. The Housing Agency will then provide the local authority with the determination on the remediation option and the maximum grant amount, based on the calculation methodology and rate provided. The local authority will then inform the homeowner of the outcome of his or her application.

In respect of our work to date in preparation for the scheme, we have engaged constructively with the homeowner forum group, chaired by Mr. John O'Connor, over recent months. We provided three technical staff to the expert group and we have held frequent meetings with officials in Donegal County Council and Mayo County Council. We have also been preparing our team. There will be five whole-time technical staff working on the scheme, four of whom will be based in the north west, including programme manager Mr. Espey. They will be supported by IT, finance and administration personnel in the agency. We will keep resources under continual review based on the entry of additional local authority areas to the scheme, including Clare County Council and Limerick City and County Council.

The Housing Agency is in the process of establishing a framework of suitably qualified chartered engineers through public procurement. We have conducted a market engagement survey of IS 465 trained and registered chartered engineers to establish their interest in the scheme. This engagement has been positive. Once the framework is established, efficiencies will be generated by grouping multiple individual properties within geographical areas for assessment and testing.

As we know, the scheme is being extended to Clare and Limerick and it is envisaged other areas may end up entering the scheme. To assist the Minister in considering new areas for inclusion, the agency will be involved in assessing properties in areas where it is considered defective blocks may be present.

The Housing Agency is committed to supporting homeowners and local authorities affected by defective concrete blocks. We aim to create a simplified, cost-efficient and effective process for local authorities and homeowners. The Housing Agency will work closely with all stakeholders to build confidence and trust in the revised scheme. We will collate data and support research to ensure the scheme and stakeholders benefit from the learning we gain during delivery. I thank members for the invitation. We are happy to answer any of their questions.