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

Cuirim fáilte roimh na daltaí agus na múinteoirí ó Ghaelscoil Osraí, Contae Chill Chainnigh.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 66 together.

As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 on 22 June 2023. It contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related regulations on 29 June 2023.

The enhanced grant scheme was legislated for following extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders. At the time of the scheme launch, the Minister established an implementation steering group composed of officials from the relevant local authorities, our Department, the Housing Agency and the homeowner's liaison officer. The group has met several times in recent months and will keep the operation of the regulations and guidelines under review.

In addition, a subgroup of this group met in January and April of this year focusing on the financial aspects of the scheme and following these meetings, our Department has issued updated guidance to local authorities that will enable eligible applicants to have earlier access to grant funding for certain eligible works.

It should be noted that arising from the Government's decision of 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, was tasked with delivering a programme of work to address a number of technical items. The NSAI is Ireland's official standards body and is an autonomous body under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I understand it is working on drafting interim guidance that will take the form of an amendment to IS 465 to enhance the sampling and testing protocols within the standard, taking account of all available findings to date, including the initial research output relating to internal sulphate attack. The NSAI has confirmed the amendment will serve as a step forward in the review and development process of IS 465, noting that full evaluation of IS 465 continues to be reliant on the delivery of the final outputs of key research projects.

Following the publication of any revised standard produced by the NSAI, the Act mandates that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage shall commence a review of the operation of the Act within three months of the completion of the review of the standard. The Act also allows for the grant rates and overall grant scheme cap to be reviewed on an annual basis and this will, if deemed appropriate, be considered in due course. The Department recently received an updated cost report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland which will inform this ongoing process. Furthermore, section 51 of the Act mandates a review of the operation of the Act to take place within three years of the Act's commencement, which is before July 2026.

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