Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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473. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to implement a scheme such as the defective block scheme specifically to address mica in public and non-residential buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16720/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The regulations for the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme came in to operation on 31 January 2020. The Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 provide for a grant scheme of financial assistance to support affected homeowners in the counties of Donegal and Mayo only, to carry out the necessary remediation works to dwellings that have been damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks. The scheme opened for applications at the end of June 2020. I have no plans to extend it to include non-residential buildings.

In respect of the local authority housing stock, Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966 provides that management and maintenance is a matter for each individual local authority. This includes maintenance programmes and carrying out of responsive repairs and pre-letting repairs. My Department will however give due consideration to any submisions received on the matter of publically owned social housing stock from the respective local authorities. In respect of non-residential buildings, I have no plans to implement a defective concrete blocks type grant scheme.