Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. If I may briefly respond to the first point he made, I am satisfied that the Revenue Commissioners will apply the law without fear or favour. I do not direct them on operational matters but they have all of the powers they need and they will fully discharge their responsibilities. They will engage directly with RTÉ and any other relevant parties to ensure all taxation obligations have been fully met in this regard.

As the Deputy will be aware, the overall Government response on the problems associated with defective concrete blocks is led by my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. His Department is engaging with impacted householders and relevant stakeholders and has put in place a scheme of financial support to help affected homeowners. This scheme provides for grants of up to €420,000 to remediate homes and includes ancillary grants of €25,000 to assist homeowners to meet the costs relating to temporary accommodation, storage and essential immediate repairs.

I understand that some homeowners have identified a potential challenge with funding the commencement of remediation works in circumstances where it is necessary to make a payment to professionals engaged on a remediation project prior to receipt of the first grant payment. The Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, BPFI, submitted an interim funding proposal to the Department of housing to address this timing mismatch.

The BPFI proposes that funding would be provided upfront from a BPFI member to a homeowner on the commencement of remediation works. It is proposed that this funding would subsequently be repaid to the BPFI member on the release of the approved grant payment, subject to any requirement of the scheme. I understand this proposal was reviewed at a subgroup meeting of the implementation steering group, chaired by the Department of housing, on 11 January 2024.

Last year, I asked my officials to engage with the BPFI and officials in the Department of housing to support that Department in exploring the funding mechanism proposal. This work is ongoing and includes consideration of the legislative and operational implications of the proposal. The Government fully understands the importance of this issue in the communities affected by defective concrete blocks. I will continue to work proactively with my Government colleagues, as necessary, to ensure the scheme operates effectively and consistently.

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