Results 3,501-3,520 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I ask Mr. Ó Coigligh to answer as briefly as possible because we are out of time in the slot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry. We are out of time in this slot so I am going to move on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am going to move on to the Fine Gael slot. I call Deputy Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry, Deputy Conway-Walsh, but I have to move on to the next slot. Deputy Higgins, please.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I will continue on that line of questioning. Is remediation work being carried out on homes at the moment without testing the foundations? Does anybody have an answer to that? Perhaps the CCMA could answer that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Forde said during the previous session that he would like to see the start of the scheme for confidence to build and for progress to be made. Perhaps I am paraphrasing him but he said we would fix the problems as they arise and the scheme matures. Let us consider the perspective of a homeowner who will be getting remediation work done without having the foundations checked. If the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: The evidence we have heard in today's sessions and in previous sessions is that there have been no issues with foundations to date. That will, we hope, give some confidence. However, what would give real confidence would be evidence-based testing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: That would be welcome. Deputy Higgins may have covered the following point. Engineers Ireland has said that in its opinion, IS 465 is not fit for purpose. I asked if the organisation had written to the Department or the Minister to express that view. Its representatives said that the testing was not for other materials aside from mica and pyrite. The testing our guests have spoken about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: When would Ms Larkin expect results or conclusions over which the NSAI could stand? Is it too early to say?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Larkin. I have a question on like-for-like replacement. I am confused by some of the answers I have got. If you have a 1,600 sq. ft four-bed detached home built in 2008, 2010 or whenever it might be, does this scheme allow you to replace it to a 2021 standard of energy-efficiency?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I do not understand the sense in that. We are asking someone to build to the standard of 20 years ago so it can be like for like when the cost of works to move the house to an A or B2 rating would, when we try to replicate it-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: If somebody has to build like for like to the 2008 standard, can they avail seamlessly of the SEAI grant to add to that and make it an energy-efficient retrofit rather than build?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh. I will move on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy McHugh. We are almost out of time on so if anybody wishes to make a brief contribution or to consider the recommendations, I ask them to do so now, please.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I call Ms Larkin to respond directly to the question, very briefly, please.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Larkin and I return now to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan and will then move to Deputy Mac Lochlainn.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. We will go to Deputy Mac Lochlainn next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Block Scheme Regulations and Review of IS 465: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: Thank you. Before we conclude, I want to ask about the breakdown between scheme houses, that is, terraced houses or detached houses, and single houses. Is there a breakdown in the assessment of the number of houses affected?