Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question and for his engagement on behalf of his constituents in Clare over recent months on this issue. A lot of work is going on with regard to the defective block mica scheme that I hope to bring to a conclusion very shortly. This will impact on other counties in a positive way. I visited Clare over the summer and I met homeowners and visited their homes with the Deputy and colleagues. We received a submission from the local authority in July requesting an extension of the defective block grant scheme to County Clare. We issued a response on 3 August indicating we would review the submission and we did so. We saw details of a breakdown of costs associated with the report. That was received on 28 September.

A number of issues arose, none of them insurmountable. It is standard that clarification is needed. I have been directly involved with regard to the submission on Clare. In this regard, I asked my officials to deal with clarifications and outstanding matters. That meeting happened the day before yesterday on 9 November. We have been very clear on what further information is required. The director of services in Clare has been excellent as has the local authority. They have indicated they are confident they can address the issues raised. They will revert to me and the Department in a relatively short time. I am dependent on getting this information. Once I do, we will process it as a matter of priority. Any extension of a scheme to Clare or other local authority would be considered as part of the wider deliberations under way with regard to the scheme. I intend to bring a memorandum to the Government shortly on these changes. I am focused on Clare. I thank the Deputy for his engagement on it and his interest in the matter.

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