Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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952. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the ongoing work to address the issue of securing green certs or a form of certification for homes affected by pyrite but without structural damage. [30908/18]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I.S. 398-1:2017 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol sets out the process for assessing and determining whether a building has been damaged by reactive pyrite or is likely to be in the future and it categorises the building.  

While the standard provides an objective, reliable and robust means by which dwellings can be tested and categorised, there is no statutory requirement on any homeowner to carry out testing on their property in order to confirm the presence or otherwise of reactive pyrite in the subfloor hardcore material.  However, it is open to any homeowner to undertake testing on their home if they so wish to obtain confirmation that their home is not affected by pyrite.

References to “red”, “amber” and “green” as originally referred to in the Report of the Pyrite Panel (June 2012) and I.S. 398-1:2013 have been removed in I.S. 398-1:2017, which was introduced in August, 2017 and replaced its predecessor.  Building categories A, B, C, and D have been redefined in terms of the extent of susceptibility to expansion of the hardcore and the potential for future damage to the building from pyritic heave.

Buildings are categorised by means of a ‘Certificate of Building Categorisation for Reactive Pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material’ as per Annex B of I.S. 398-1:2017, based on the results of the Building Condition Assessment and the classification of the hardcore material.

To obtain a Category A Certificate following assessment under the requirements of I.S. 398-1:2017 (previously referred to as a "green" Certificate) the building must have a;

- Damage Condition Rating of 0 and hardcore which has negligible susceptibility to expansion; or

- Damage Condition Rating of 1 or 2, and hardcore which has negligible susceptibility to expansion and also has an alternative probable cause for the damage.

The Category A certificate is issued in respect of dwellings that have been assessed, at the request of the homeowner, in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2017. The issuing of such certificates is a matter entirely for the homeowner and the professional they engage; it is not part of the pyrite remediation scheme.

Where a house has been remediated under the pyrite remediation scheme, a certificate of remediation is provided and the issue of a Category A certificate does not arise.