Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist seo a ardú. We have discussed this previously and I will try to address some, if not all, of the issues the Deputy raised and, perhaps in closing, the retrofit part of it specifically.

Again, I thank the Deputy for consistently raising this issue on behalf of his constituents. It is critical that we get it right for the communities that are affected by this. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien brought a memorandum to the Government on an enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme on 30 November 2021. It included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme which removed the financial barrier to entry to the scheme by simplifying and streamlining the application process, increased the grants available from 90% to 100% of allowable costs and the maximum grant level from €247,500 to €420,000, provided for a second grant in certain circumstances, introduced an independent appeals process and strengthened the certificate of remediation available to homeowners.

The Government approved the enhanced scheme, which is estimated to come in at approximately €2.2 billion. The revised grant calculation methodology will be based on the size of the existing home using a cost per sq. m. Up-to-date construction costs are an important consideration in this regard. Accordingly, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland has agreed to produce a report on up-to-date construction costs for the type of remediation works carried out under the scheme on a variety of home types under the defective concrete blocks scheme. The SCSI will be independent in its work but in the interest of fairness, it has engaged with the Department on the matter and has agreed to hear a submission from homeowners on construction costs in the north west. This relates to the final point the Deputy made. The specific grant rates that will be implemented will be set by the Department after the SCSI provides its independent advice. Construction costs in the SCSI report will be reviewed annually to reflect construction cost changes. They are changing rapidly as we are all aware.

In relation to implementation of the enhanced scheme, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, recently wrote to the PRO of the Mica Action Group on these matters updating him on work undertaken to date in regard to implementation of the enhanced scheme. It is important that homeowners have the opportunity to engage on implementation of the scheme. In this regard, John O'Connor, former chief executive officer of the Housing Agency, was recently appointed to act as liaison between homeowners and the Department and its expert group on implementation of the enhanced scheme.

The Minister fully understands the level of anxiety and apprehension around the scheme given the scale involved and homeowners' experiences of the devastation caused by defective concrete blocks. I reiterate, on behalf of the Minister, his commitment to urgently build a grant scheme which is fit for purpose with grant rates based on the independent work of the SCSI that covers the real costs involved. I will provide more information in my next response.

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