Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party)
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268. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the MICA redress scheme will be reviewed with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to consider the concerns raised by families impacted by this defect; if he has considered allowing the working group examining housing defects to review the MICA redress scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30311/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing report, "Safe as Houses".

The terms of reference of the working group to examine defects in housing does not include a review of the current financial assistance scheme for the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged due to the use of Defective Concrete Blocks.

The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme only opened for applications in June 2020 but already 433 homeowners have applied for grant assistance. The scheme needs to be given time to demonstrate that it will work for  homeowners. It would be premature to consider making changes at this point but I am keeping progress under the scheme under review and engaging directly with both local authorities and local action groups on the matter.