Seanad debates

Wednesday, 13 July 2022

Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Committee Stage

 

10:00 am

Photo of Lynn BoylanLynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 41:

In page 23, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(6) Within seven weeks of the passing of this Act the Minister shall lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the implications of subsection (5) on relevant owners and whether there is a need for amending the Act to allow for a reduction in the internal floor area of the dwelling demolished without any reduction in the amount of the remediation option grant approved by the Housing Agency.”.

This relates to the downsizing penalty which we keep hearing does not exist but saying it does not exist does not make it true. An example of how this penalty is working is a homeowner in Mayo who has a home of 90 sq. m who gets a remediation grant of €169,000 but the cost of rebuilding that home is valued at €200,000. There is clearly a shortfall of €31,000 but remember these are ordinary homeowners, people who in some cases are already retired or are not working for one reason or another, or are close to retirement age. As a huge compromise on their part, they are offering to downsize their home so they can at least rebuild within the budget of the €169,000.Misinformation has been put out there that homeowners are trying to make money on this. They are not seeking to pocket the difference. All they are asking is that they not be penalised for not having the financial ability to match the difference, or it may be that they do not wish to get into debt. Some of them may be coming up to retirement age. In effect, there is a penalty as the Bill stands. This is about people who are making a significant compromise. They built their dream home but are accepting a much smaller house in order to stay within the budget. There are other Members who wish to speak to the amendment. It is a critical issue. It would be deeply unfair to allow the section to stand as it is.

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