Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I am aware that she has consistently raised it with my colleagues, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Senator has described the trauma experienced by the residents. It is critically important that they have certainty. That is what we are attempting to provide.

My colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and I acknowledge the difficulties that homeowners and residents of many apartments and duplexes are facing, and the stress that is caused when the defects arise in their buildings. We are both aware that there have been many incidences of failures and non-compliance concerns coming to light in apartment buildings built during the building boom. The Minister has repeatedly said that this is a nettle that the Government must and will grasp. The Government is committed to helping affected homeowners.

One of the Minister's first tasks following the formation of the Government was to establish an independent working group to examine defects in housing under the chairmanship of Mr. Seamus Neely, a former chief executive of Donegal County Council. This followed on from a commitment in the programme for Government to examine the issue and bring forward reforms. This commitment was further supported by actions contained in Housing for All. The group's terms of reference were focused on fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. The Minister received and published the report of the working group at the end of July this year. The level of consultation and engagement the working group undertook with stakeholders and interested parties, both here and abroad, was extensive. As a result, the report is rich in data regarding the nature and scale of defects, as well as the cost of addressing the defects. The working group estimates that of apartments and duplexes or associated common areas constructed between 1991 and 2013, the number that may be affected by one or more fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects is likely to range between 50% and 80%. This equates to between 62,500 and 100,000 apartments and duplexes. The scale is quite incredible. In addition, the working group estimates that the average cost of undertaking the remediation of defects is likely to be approximately €25,000 per apartment or duplex. This translates into a potential overall total remediation cost ranging from approximately €1.56 billion to €2.5 billion.

The working group's recommendations, along with the evidence gathered on options for potential supports contained in the report, will be of considerable assistance in informing this Government's next steps. Taking into account the learning gained through the development and operation of other schemes, such as the pyrite remediation scheme and the defective concrete blocks scheme, the Minister will now, in consultation with Government colleagues, develop a plan to address the situation that many homeowners find themselves in through no fault of their own, as the Senator said.