Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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322. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the work up until 30 June 2016 of the expert group on pyrite in houses in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20897/16]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The expert panel on concrete blocks has met on three occasions since it was established in April last and is review ing the information that has been made available to it in relation to the problems that have emerged in affected homes; this includes a number of technical reports provided by Mayo County Council on problems with in their social housing stock. Additional information has also been sought from Mayo County Council, which will be of assistance in the research necessary to inform the preparation of the panel’s report.

The panel visited the owners of nine affected homes in Donegal during May in order to view first-hand the problems that have emerged in those homes and during their visit met with representatives from the Mica Action Group, as well as with elected members and officials from Donegal County Council. The panel now propose to visit a number of affected homes in Mayo and will seek similar meetings with homeowners and with the elected members and officials from Mayo County Council. It is anticipated that the panel will visit Mayo in early September. Further meetings will also be held with a broad range of stakeholders, other interested parties and elected representatives over the course of the panel’s investigations.

Separately, I also intend to visit a number of affected homeowners in Mayo within the next few weeks to view directly the damage to their homes and to hear of the difficult ies and distress they are facing due to such damage.

Ultimately, the panel’s terms of reference aim to establish the facts behind the problems that have emerged in Donegal and Mayo and to outline technical options for addressing the problems identified in order to assist affected homeowners. It is anticipated that the panel will require in the order of six months to complete their work. In this regard, I will await the outcome of the panel’s report before considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in Donegal and Mayo.