Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the investigation panel to examine the mica issue will be set up and functioning, its terms of reference, when it will report its findings, the process for those home owners affected by mica to notify the investigation panel with details of their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44135/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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In order to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to their difficulties, I recently announced my intention to establish an expert group to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in both Donegal and Mayo.

While building defects are, in the first instance, matters for resolution between the relevant contracting parties, i.e. the homeowner, the builder, the supplier and/or their respective insurers, a small expert group, with a strong technical background, will be set up to establish, insofar as it is possible, the number of affected dwellings in Donegal and Mayo, the root cause of the problems and the technical solutions for remediation.

In this regard, the expert group will have the following terms of reference:

(i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the Counties of Donegal and Mayo;

(ii) To carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected homeowners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings;

(iii) To outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and

(iv) To submit a report by 31 May 2016.

Arrangements are now underway within my Department to identify a suitable chair for the expert group and nominations will be sought shortly from a number of professional bodies for suitable persons to participate on the group. Once established the expert group will decide upon the means by which they will carry out their investigations, including the means by which they will interact with affected homeowners on the issues concerned.