Mr. Bob Jordan:

We are pleased to assist the committee in its discussion on the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme. I am accompanied by my colleague, Peadar Espey, the Housing Agency’s programme manager for the scheme.

The Housing Agency’s purpose is to provide expertise and solutions to help deliver sustainable communities. We do this by being a centre of expertise on housing, supporting housing policy development and implementing effective housing programmes in collaboration with others. We work with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities and approved housing bodies to deliver housing and housing services.

To meet the housing challenges facing our society, the Housing Agency’s role has increased significantly in recent years. This extends to defects schemes, including the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme and the interim remediation scheme to fund emergency fire safety works in apartments. The Housing Agency has also built up considerable technical expertise and knowledge relevant to the defective concrete blocks grant scheme through the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme since 2014. To date, almost 2,800 homes have been remediated under the pyrite remediation scheme.

I will now talk about the Housing Agency’s roles in the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, which are set out in legislation. We have two key roles. These are the assessment of applications and assistance with consideration of new areas for inclusion in the scheme. The Housing Agency is supporting Clare, Donegal, Limerick and Mayo county councils to deliver the scheme. Our role is to make it easier for homeowners to access the scheme. We take on the financial cost of assessing and testing dwellings. We also determine, on behalf of the local authorities, the appropriate remediation option and grant amount for dwellings. The local authorities in their role as administrators of the grant scheme are responsible for processing applications and for sending on validated applications, including the building condition assessment, BCA, report, to the Housing Agency.

When an application is received from the local authority, the Housing Agency reviews the BCA report and conducts visual inspections, where necessary, to determine if the home has met the damage threshold for entry to the scheme. If the damage threshold has been met, the Housing Agency prioritises dwellings for assessment, testing and categorisation in accordance with IS 465. A chartered engineer is engaged by the Housing Agency to undertake the assessments.

The Housing Agency enters into an agreement with homeowners to enable IS 465 assessments, sampling and testing of homes. Based on the results of these tests, the Housing Agency determines the appropriate remediation option and grant amount. This amount is based on the grant calculation methodology and the rates provided in legislation. The Housing Agency’s determinations are communicated to the local authorities, which then inform the homeowners of the outcome of their applications.

The Housing Agency also assists with the designation of potential new areas for inclusion within the scheme. A local authority, or the Minister, may submit a request to the Housing Agency to be considered a designated local authority. The Housing Agency will consider the request and have assessments, investigations and testing carried out on homes in the area. These investigations are carried out using IS 465 protocols. We then submit our findings and recommendations to the Minister.

The Housing Agency has a professional and technical team of project managers, engineers and surveyors working with homeowners and local authorities under the scheme. The team has undertaken the Engineers Ireland IS 465 training programme. The Housing Agency has established a regional office of five staff in the north west for the scheme, which is supported by technical and administrative staff in Dublin. Resource requirements are regularly reviewed.

The Housing Agency has established two panels of external consultants. The first panel consists of chartered engineers to assess, sample, test and categorise dwellings in accordance with IS 465. The second panel consists of competent building professionals to conduct detailed floor and external wall measurement surveys on dwellings which have transitioned from the previous scheme to the enhanced scheme.

In conclusion, the Housing Agency supports people living in homes affected by defective concrete blocks by carrying out the remediation option and grant amount assessments on behalf of local authorities. We also assist with the consideration of new designated areas for inclusion in the scheme. We are happy to answer any questions and provide further details.