Ms Josephine Murphy:

I will deal with the foundations if that is all right. We have struggled long and hard in campaigning to have the foundations covered, and that is very important. With foundations it is important to look at IS 465:2018+A1:2020, particularly annexe D, which relates to remedial works. Table D1 on page 39 applies to Donegal only, where option 1 is to demolish an entire dwelling to foundation level and rebuild. Table D1 on page 40 applies to Mayo only and option 1 is to demolish an entire dwelling and rebuild, and the foundations are not included. Nevertheless, Mayo County Council have it in their overview under costs not covered. That is bullet point No. 4, which states that foundations are not covered and homeowners must fix them.

With regard to the IS 465 document, the expert panel on concrete blocks issued clarification notes in respect of option 1 in annexe F, stating the panel was not informed during the investigations of any failures of concrete foundations due to aggregates containing deleterious material in the concrete in foundations in Donegal or Mayo. That is true and it is an accurate statement. In 2016, nobody had undertaken exploratory works to determine whether foundations needed remediation. However, the concrete for the foundations would have been, more than likely, sourced from the same block supplier and it is imperative to prevent costs to the homeowner for any further need towards rectification. These should be remediated.