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

I thank the Senators for tabling the amendment.

To follow on from what Senator Blaney said, that is fundamentally the issue. There are homes that are ready now to be remediated in the coming weeks and months and many homeowners will want to move that forward.

The review is really important. Senator Boyhan's amendment proposes that the Minister request the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, to ensure that the review of IS 465 is completed in time for the opening of the defective concrete block scheme as provided for in the Bill.

My Department has begun the consultation with the National Standards Authority of Ireland on the review. While the review has begun, it has been confirmed by the NSAI that the research necessary to inform the review will take some time. It is an important review and we will need external advice on it as well. We might need some international advice on it too. It will likely be 2023 before the review is complete.

I do not think there are many here who would want to see the scheme delayed until that work was concluded. Maybe there are. What we are interested in is providing the solutions, getting the new scheme and getting people's homes fixed and not delaying it for other reasons, which I know is not the Senator in question's purpose of this amendment.

I am conscious that the Senator does not want to delay the commencement of the enhanced grant scheme given that there are homeowners who need and want to press on with the application and remediation works necessary. As I advised earlier, the Bill makes provision for a review of the Act within three months of any review of IS 465 by the NSAI and for a report of those findings and those conclusions to be provided to each House of the Oireachtas.

I am of the view that we need to push on with getting this greatly enhanced grant scheme up and running and we cannot wait until 2023 to do that. Therefore, I cannot accept the amendment.