Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Farrell for raising this important matter of concern. While my Department has no regulatory function in the area of insurance or insurance-based products, I will raise this issue with the appropriate regulatory bodies and Departments and will be supportive of any proposals that may be put forward by them in this matter.

The pyrite remediation scheme, which was published by the Pyrite Resolution Board in February 2014, was developed having regard to the recommendations set out in the report of the independent pyrite panel. The scheme is one of last resort and applies to dwellings with significant pyritic damage. The scheme is fundamentally a works scheme aimed at remediating pyrite-damaged homes to Irish Standard 398-2:2013, Reactive Pyrite in Sub-floor Hardcore Material - Part 2: Methodology for Remediation Works, published by the National Standards Authority of Ireland in January 2013, to ensure the restoration of the quality that affected homeowners expect and are entitled to. All works under the scheme will be completed to the required standard by competent builders and overseen by construction professionals in accordance with the requirements of the board and the Housing Agency. At the end of the works, homeowners will be provided with certification to confirm that their homes have been remediated to the appropriate standard. Given that the contaminated hardcore will be removed and replaced with compliant material and all damage remediated, any risk to the structural integrity of remediated homes will be eliminated, thereby removing any impediment towards the future insurance of these homes.

As matters stand, approximately 560 applications have been received by the board, of which 375 have been validated and referred to the Housing Agency for the next stage in the process: assessment, verification and recommendation. In the region of 150 dwellings have now been recommended for inclusion in the pyrite remediation scheme and the applicants have been notified accordingly. The first remediation works under the scheme commenced earlier this month on a small group of houses in a development in north Dublin.

Given that IS 398:2013 - Part 2 sets out a clear methodology for the remediation of dwellings with pyritic heave, and the fact that all dwellings under the pyrite remediation scheme will be remediated to that standard, as indeed may other dwellings outside the scheme, I urge all insurance providers to reconsider their position in these matters and provide the insurance cover that homeowners need for peace of mind, notwithstanding any obligations they may have under their mortgage conditions.

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