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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 89 together.

I thank Deputies Ó Broin and O'Callaghan for their questions on this matter and also their ongoing interest and input. I fully acknowledge the difficulties of homeowners and residents of many apartments and duplexes and the stress they are facing as a result of building defects. The Government is committed to helping those whose lives have been impacted by this very serious issue, with full funding for eligible remediation works that ensure they can remain living in their homes. On 29 January last, I held another public webinar on construction and apartment defects. This is the fifth such webinar I have held to update residents and OMCs. I held these alongside the Construction Defects Alliance, the Apartment Owners' Network and the Not Our Fault 100% redress campaign. I am grateful to their representatives for joining me on these webinars which are really useful for providing updates to affected homeowners. The webinars have been attended by an average of 500 homeowners.

On 11 December last, as referred to by Deputy Ó Broin, I announced the opening of the interim remediation scheme for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works. This has to be our priority because it is about ensuring people's safety where they live. Apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 qualify for this scheme where the fire safety defects were caused by defective design, poor workmanship or materials that breached the building regulations that applied when the property was built. Apartment owner management companies will be funded to carry out the necessary remediation work on a whole-of-building basis. The interim remediation scheme is being administered by the Housing Agency. We have a new programme manager in place specifically for this scheme. It is operated on a nationwide basis and applications can be made by OMCs via the Housing Agency’s website.

As Deputy Ó Broin mentioned, we have received 79 applications. These are being progressed across 22 local authority areas, representing approximately 7,500 residential units. I expect the first of those to be approved very shortly, that is, in the coming weeks. We are using some of the applications as exemplars to work through the application and verification processes. What is also good is that the guidelines are completed regarding the appropriateness or level of work that needs to be done on the fire defects side. We put a lot of work into that issue and the guidelines are very clear and have been published. Registered contractors will now know exactly what works need to be done.

Since I received Government approval to draft legislation for the permanent scheme to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in designated apartment buildings, the Department has been advancing the steps to put the remediation scheme on a statutory footing as a matter of priority. There are complex issues within it but the interim scheme helps with that in looking at other legislation such as the defective concrete blocks Act and the pyrite remediation scheme. Given this, and the significant amount of Exchequer funding the Government has committed to assist affected homeowners, sufficient time is required to ensure the scheme is fit for purpose, provides value for money and, most important, does what we want it to do, namely, support residents in getting their homes back in shape and their lives back together.

I expect the draft legislation to be published in the coming months. I am chasing it up and it is being worked on right now. I want to focus on the fire safety piece and encourage OMCs and individuals to make applications. The Housing Agency is working through those applications directly with agents and OMCs to make sure the proper information is provided. It is not an onerous process.

The other area I am looking at relates to retrospective payments for people who have already remediated and paid for the remediation. I do not believe I will need to wait for the permanent legislation for that to do be done. I am looking at options to refund, obviously on a whole-of-building basis, hard-earned money that people had to borrow or levies that they paid. Again, it will go back to those who have actually paid for remediation. We envisage about a third of the properties have been remediated already-----

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