Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for outlining the amendments. I also thank him for his commitment to this issue. He met those impacted at a very early stage, listened to their concerns, understood the need for flexibility in the legislation and very quickly sought to bring forward this amendment. We are not there yet - there are several Stages to go through - but clearly he has outlined the urgency of this legislation and the need for it and shown his commitment to it, so I thank him for that.

The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that all such homeowners are financially assisted to remediate their homes to allow them to move on with their lives. The House will know that the scheme is currently open to applications in five counties, namely, Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo. When a local authority that is not currently designated under the scheme determines that homes within its area may have been damaged by defective concrete blocks, it can seek to have the scheme extended to include any such county or part of that county. Following reports received from the Housing Agency, Government approval will now be sought for the designation of the relevant parts of Fingal and Wexford local authority areas. This will allow homeowners in these counties affected by defective concrete blocks to apply to the grant scheme to receive the funding and the help they need to fix their homes and move on with their lives. I understand that further local authorities will also be designated under the scheme in the coming months. The Government stands ready to provide financial help wherever it is needed.

The latest data shows that 3,022 homeowners are at various stages of the scheme. Of those, 326 applicants have completed remediation works to their homes under the grant scheme, with a futher 1,057 applicants having notified their relevant local authority that they intend to commence works under the grant scheme. Since the enhanced scheme came into being in July 2023, the levels of funding have accelerated. More than €235 million has been spent on the scheme to date. As the scheme ramps up, further sufficient and additional funding will be provided as required. The overall cost of the scheme is expected to be in excess of €2.2 billion excluding inflation. This is a demand-led scheme and the Government remains 100% committed to funding the remediation of DCB homes as and when necessary. This includes reviewing the levels of funding required to meet ongoing constructions costs under the scheme, as evidenced by the centre piece provision in this Bill, namely, the retrospective application of scheme cap and grant rate increases announced late last year. We feel sure that this will help and compensate many homeowners who have seen costs rise during the time in question.

I also wish to acknowledge the role that designated local authorities and the Housing Agency play under the terms of the scheme. Designated local authorities are administrators of the scheme and the main contact for homeowners. The Housing Agency acts as agents on behalf of the designated local authorities. Through its framework of chartered engineers, it undertakes the assessment, survey, sampling, testing and categorisation of homes and thereafter determines the appropriate remediation option and grant amount to remediate the affected homes. Representatives from each of the designated local authorities also attend regular meetings of the implementation steering group. This group was established in 2023 and, along with the representatives from the designated local authorities and the Housing Agency, comprises officials from the Department and the homeowner liaison officer.

The homeowner liaison officer, Mr. John O’Connor, chair of the Housing Commission and the Pyrite Resolution Board, was appointed to act as liaison with homeowner representatives and elected representatives in counties affected by defective concrete blocks. The homeowner liaison officer works with representatives groups and my Department to ensure the concerns of key stakeholders are heard and dealt with.

As outlined earlier, the Bill contains a number of provisions. The main amendment will allow for retrospective grant payments. The others can be described as technical amendments to the Act and are proposed in order to enhance the efficient and fair operation of the grant scheme. These technical amendments include measures such as: a review of determined options for certain homeowners; increasing the time within which remediation works should be completed; allowing the opportunity, subject to certain conditions, to either a person who was married to, a civil partner of, or cohabiting with a relevant owner prior to the commencement the Act, to now become a relevant owner; and the facilitation of ancillary grants to applicants who have reached the grant scheme cap.

The programme for Government commits to undertaking the planned review of the scheme. This refers to the fact that the primary legislation mandates the commencement of a review of the scheme within three years of the Act coming into operation. In addition to this, a review of the operation of the Act is required within three months of the completion of any review of I.S. 465:2018, the national standard that underpins the current grant scheme. As Ireland's official standards body, the National Standards Authority of Ireland has been tasked with the review of this standard and I understand this review is due to conclude in quarter 1 of 2026 with the publication of the revised standard. This will start the process for a requirement to review the Act that the Department stands ready to action. We will continue to work with representatives from all parties to ensure impacted homeowners are heard and listened to and that the scheme reflects their needs.

Deputies are keenly aware of the issues of defective concrete blocks. We are committed to ensuring this scheme works for homeowners and I think they will agree that this Bill contains a number of fundamental and important legislative measures, aimed at further assisting impacted homeowners. I thank the members of the Oireachtas housing committee for assisting us in progressing this matter. This collaboration is appreciated and we hope to get this legislation passed as soon as possible. We will continue to work closely with all Members of the Oireachtas, and listen carefully to their views as we put in place regulations and guidance to ensure the scheme can address the real concerns of homeowners.

As the Minister said, Committee Stage will be a good opportunity for questions and answers and to tease out a lot of the proposed amendments. I commend this legislation to the Dáil.

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