Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the redress scheme for defective buildings, including when emergency funding for interim measures will be available; and the timeline for the legislation underpinning the scheme. [23809/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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It is ten months since the publication of the report of the working group on defective buildings. Will the Minister give the House an update on the progress of the establishment of the redress scheme for those homeowners? More particularly, will he give us information on what is happening with emergency funding for mitigation measures, the timeline for the publication of the legislation and when he expects the scheme to be open? Can he give us any update on his engagement with the insurance industry on that aspect of this issue?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for this important question and colleagues for their input into this. Since receipt of Government approval in January to draft legislation to establish supports for remediation defects in apartments, I have been working to progress the various programmes of work required to put a significant remediation scheme on a statutory footing. A key aspect of this work is developing a code of practice in the context of the Fire Services Act, to which I will come back in more detail later, to provide guidance to relevant professionals, including guidance on interim safety measures, which is important.

The group working on this code includes industry professionals, local authority fire services, the Housing Agency and my Department. Engagement and agreement with local authority fire services are crucial to ensure life safety work is carried out appropriately. I am engaging with a homeowners' implementation group to ensure that they are kept up to date on the progress we are making. I last met them on 10 May.

In order to ensure that important life safety works are not paused, remediation works related to fire safety defects, entered into or commenced from 18 January 2023, will form part of the remediation scheme, subject to terms and conditions. The details of this process are being worked out as a priority in parallel with the code of practice.

In addition, work is under way to draft the required legislation, which will include the scope, eligibility and conditions of the remediation scheme. While I am working on the development of the scheme as a matter of priority, sufficient time is required to draft the legislation to ensure that the scheme, which will be here for a number of years, is fit for purpose, provides value for the taxpayer, has appropriate oversight and governance measures in place and, most importantly, will help thousands of residents get their homes and lives back together. Subject to the legislative process, it is intended that a scheme will be in place in 2024. I will come back on the other aspects in the supplementary.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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This is an issue on which we want to work with the Minister.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I know.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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All of us in opposition want to do that, but there is enormous frustration, not just on this side of the House but among homeowners living with the reality of defects in apartments, duplexes and houses. Some of those homeowners are now staging a protest outside the Dáil every week, not just from Citywest but from Ennis and elsewhere. While we understand the legislation has to be done right and there has to be technical groundwork, there are people today who want to do remediation work but are nervous about doing it because they do not know whether they will be included in the final details of the scheme for emergency funding for mitigation measures.

I find it hard to believe a scheme will be open at the start of next year because the legislation for defective blocks was passed a year ago and is not open yet. There is a lot of work to do with regulations post the passing of the legislation. Can the Minister give more definitive information on when people will know what is and is not included in the emergency funding for mitigation? Can he give an indication of the publication date for the legislation? Can he give any information on his engagement with the insurance industry?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Colleagues across the House have worked together on this and I want to continue in that vein. I meet residents regularly. I have had a number of webinars with them and met the representative groups as recently as 10 May. The legislation is complex and we need to get it right. It is important residents know where work has been done already. An important decision was made by the Government that retrospection and costs incurred will be covered and, for those entering into works, those works will be covered and will not have to be paused.

I am looking with the Housing Agency at, for want of a better phrase, a hardship fund for some owners management companies, OMCs, that may not have access to any finance to carry out certain safety works.

These are not necessarily full remediations in that sense because we need the scheme to be stood up. That is why the code of practice on the fire services side is really important in order that we can show people the works that are being done on an interim basis. That is being advanced. We have the input of the fire services officers right across the local authorities on that. We are doing that as quickly as we can. I have kept residents abreast of that work too. I want the schemes to be stood up in 2024.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I would like it to happen in early 2024. I will come back in again.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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My concern is that much of what the Minister has said is similar to what he said the last time I raised this issue at the end of last year. There was actually an expectation and inference from him that some of the funding for mitigation measures, which could include fire wardens or emergency remediation work could be available in early 2023. That has not transpired. Likewise, for example, the Minister originally told us that the enhanced defective blocks scheme would be open at the end of last year and then early this year. We are expecting the regulations to be published by the end of this month. However, there is a concern that it will take a month or two for the local authorities to get that scheme up and running.

I want to press the Minister for more clarity for those people who today need emergency funding for mitigation or interim measures. What are the specific details? When will the specific details be published regarding what that can cover? When will the hardship fund be running? For the third time, if the Minister can give any information about his engagement with industry in terms of rising insurance premiums, I would appreciate that.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I do not know that it is the third time the Deputy has asked about that. I have formally engaged with industry, both Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, BPFI, and Insurance Ireland. I have met them and we are continuing that engagement. Homeowners have been too. The code of practice is very important because it will underpin what interim works can take place and what the standard of those works will be when they take place.

The Deputy has referenced defective concrete blocks. We have given residents additional time because they asked for it. I asked for feedback across the House, as well as from the Deputy, in relation to regulations. I might add for the record of the House that I did not receive it. However, I do intend to publish the regulations on defective concrete blocks at the end of this month because that scheme needs to stand up at the start of June. We will work through that.

We have to get the code of practice piece done and we are expediting that. I want to make funds available for developments that need immediate fire safety works to be done. We will do that in the short term, but I have to get the code of practice done. I cannot reach into that process. That is for both local authority experts and industry experts. I expect to have that soon. I will correspond with Deputies and with the Oireachtas joint committee on it. I know how urgent and important it is.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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To conclude, it is really important that residents know - and many developments have been fully remediated - that where works have started, those works will be covered. Where they are entering into contracts and where they have funds, they should continue with those works. All those works will be covered.