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

I thank the Deputy for this important question and colleagues for their input into this. Since receipt of Government approval in January to draft legislation to establish supports for remediation defects in apartments, I have been working to progress the various programmes of work required to put a significant remediation scheme on a statutory footing. A key aspect of this work is developing a code of practice in the context of the Fire Services Act, to which I will come back in more detail later, to provide guidance to relevant professionals, including guidance on interim safety measures, which is important.

The group working on this code includes industry professionals, local authority fire services, the Housing Agency and my Department. Engagement and agreement with local authority fire services are crucial to ensure life safety work is carried out appropriately. I am engaging with a homeowners' implementation group to ensure that they are kept up to date on the progress we are making. I last met them on 10 May.

In order to ensure that important life safety works are not paused, remediation works related to fire safety defects, entered into or commenced from 18 January 2023, will form part of the remediation scheme, subject to terms and conditions. The details of this process are being worked out as a priority in parallel with the code of practice.

In addition, work is under way to draft the required legislation, which will include the scope, eligibility and conditions of the remediation scheme. While I am working on the development of the scheme as a matter of priority, sufficient time is required to draft the legislation to ensure that the scheme, which will be here for a number of years, is fit for purpose, provides value for the taxpayer, has appropriate oversight and governance measures in place and, most importantly, will help thousands of residents get their homes and lives back together. Subject to the legislative process, it is intended that a scheme will be in place in 2024. I will come back on the other aspects in the supplementary.

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