Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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107. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to extend the pyrite remediation scheme to homeowners classed on level 1 pyritic damage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39355/16]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Pyrite Panel(June 2012) recommended a categorisation system as a means of prioritising pyrite remediation works in recognition of the expensive and intrusive nature of pyrite remediation and the unpredictability of pyritic heave. The independent Pyrite Panel was clear in its view that only dwellings with significant damage due to pyritic heave should be remediated and that it would be unreasonable to expect dwellings not exhibiting such damage to be remediated. Dwellings which have no significant damage but have reactive pyrite in the hardcore should be monitored and only remediated if they display significant damage due to pyritic heave. This remains the position with regard to dwellings which do not display significant pyritic damage.

The relevant provisions of Pyrite Resolution Act 2013and the eligibility criteria of the pyrite remediation scheme are broadly reflective of the conclusions and recommendations of Panel’s report. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion.

There is no sunset provision in the Act. Where a dwelling, which has a Damage Condition Rating of 1 and is currently not eligible under the scheme, progresses to a Damage Condition Rating of 2, an application can be made at that point in time for inclusion in the pyrite remediation scheme.