Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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600. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will permit the Pyrite Resolution Board to consider the emerging situation in County Mayo with respect to defective blocks; if he will extend the pyrite compensation scheme to include those affected in County Mayo; his plans to address this problem in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47741/14]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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My Department understands that a total of 17 houses in three local authority estates in County Mayo have been identified by Mayo County Council as having problems with the cracking of concrete blocks used in their construction. The majority of those dwellings appear to have been constructed between 2000 and 2002. Earl ier this year, my Department also met with a number of private homeowners whose homes are similarly affected by cracking in the blockwork. The problems appear to concern approximately 15 houses and the period of construction for the houses involved was 1997 to 2002. My Department has not been made aware of other dwellings affected by structural problems in the blockwork in County Mayo.

While I fully appreciate and acknowledge the extremely difficult and distressing situations that householders have to deal with when faced with the consequences of the use of defective materials or poor workmanship, building defects are, in general, matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved, i.e. the owner, the builder, the manufacturer, supplier, quarry owner and/or their respective insurers. In the event that the contracting parties cannot reach a settlement by negotiation the option of seeking redress in the Courts can be considered. In this regard, I believe that the responsible parties should face up to their responsibilities and take appropriate actions to provide remedies for the affected homeowners.

The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme. However, the provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive pyrite in the subfloor hardcore material and not to damage arising in any other circumstance. The Pyrite Resolution Board has no powers to investigate the alleged use of defective blocks in the construction of the houses in County Mayo and I have no proposals to amend the Act in this regard.