Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this very important matter and for the opportunity to provide an update on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 on 22 June 2023, which provides for an enhanced grant scheme, and adopted the related regulations on 29 June 2023. The Act includes significant improvements to the previous scheme and allows for the extension of the scheme to other counties, as required.

Section 5 of the Act contains details on the process for the inclusion of additional local authority areas into the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme. This statutory designation process can commence upon a request by a local authority or the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, whereby the Housing Agency thereafter carries out technical testing of dwellings in a given local authority administrative area.

Following consultation with officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Sligo County Council submitted its request for inclusion in the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme in May 2023. An official from the Department wrote to the Housing Agency in July 2023 requesting, on behalf of the Minister for housing, that the Housing Agency carry out an assessment per section 5(7) of the Act. Section 5(9) of the Act then requires the Housing Agency to produce a report on the results of the assessment, with a recommendation that an order should or should not be made designating the local authority of Sligo for the whole of, or part of, its administrative area.

I understand that the Housing Agency and its appointed chartered engineer met with Sligo County Council on 26 September 2023 to commence its investigations and consultations, as required.

The Housing Agency has confirmed to the Department that its investigations and consultations have completed and its report, including a recommendation to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is currently in draft form. It is envisaged the report will be completed in the coming weeks. Once received, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will ensure this report receives attention without delay, and at that point he will be in a position to exercise his powers under the Act and, if appropriate, to seek Government approval to include the whole, or part, of Sligo County Council's administrative area in the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme.

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