Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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519. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when a decision will be made and extension given to a house owned by Donegal County Council which has an issue with mica (details supplied); the plans of the local authority for the family concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1395/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Disabled Persons Grant Scheme (DPGs) is funded by my Department to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability and over-crowded household situations. Typical works include adaptations such as stair-lifts, level deck showers, ramps and grab rails, widening door opening widths and improving circulation spaces. Extensions to provide for ground floor bathrooms and bedrooms can also be supported.

It is the local authorities that identify housing adaptation needs within local authority owned housing stock and oversee and prioritise appropriate responses to meet this need. My Department does not prescribe how this is implemented at local authority level.

Notwithstanding this, I do acknowledge the challenges arising in this situation. Donegal County Council has advised my Department that they are exploring the options available to meet the needs of the family involved.  

Separately, as part of the enhanced measures announced on the 30 November 2021 with regard to the Defective Concrete Block grant scheme, work is ongoing within my Department to progress implementation of the Government decision to introduce a parallel grant process for local authority and approved housing body owned social homes impacted by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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520. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will urgently increase the housing assistance payment rent limits for County Donegal to reflect the real cost of rent across the county and the impact of the mica defective blocks crisis on housing in the county. [1397/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 520 and 563 together.

Increased rent limits for the Housing Assistance Programme (HAP) and the Rent Supplement Scheme were introduced in 2016. These limits were agreed in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection (DSP).  In reviewing the rent limits, my Department worked closely with DSP and monitored data gathered from the Residential Tenancies Board and the HAP Shared Services Centre.  The HAP rent limits were increased significantly, in the order of 60% in some cases. 

Local authorities also have discretion, because of local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum rent limit by up to 20%, or up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of homelessness. It should be noted that it is a matter for the local authority to determine whether the application of the flexibility is warranted on a case by case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case. 

I am conscious that increasing the current HAP rent limits could have negative inflationary impacts, leading to a detrimental impact on the wider rental market, including for those households who are not receiving HAP support.

My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review and closely monitors the level of discretion being used by local authorities, taking into account other sources of data, including Residential Tenancies Board rent data published on a quarterly basis.

The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that HAP levels are adequate to support vulnerable households, while we increase the supply of social housing. Under Housing for All, my Department is undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether an increase in the level of discretion available to Local Authorities under HAP is required, in order to maintain adequate levels of HAP support. This review is at an advanced stage. 

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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521. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the assistance that his Department can provide to Donegal County Council to assist it with an emergency housing plan to address the crisis presented by mica defective blocks over the time ahead particularly in the northern half of the county. [1398/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government agreed an enhanced €2.2bn Defective Concrete Block scheme on 30 November 2021. The comprehensive changes include:

- The current 90% maximum grant will be increased to a 100% grant for all remediation options 1-5

- The maximum grant cap for option 1 (demolition and rebuild) will be increased to €420,000 from €247,500

- The grant calculation methodology for Option 1 remediation will be based on the cost per square foot (psf) of rebuilding the existing home, with costings to be set by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage after receipt of advice on construction costs from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) . An indicative rate of €145 per square foot is set for the first 1,000 sq foot based on SCSI methodology with a sliding scale thereafter.

- A revised application process will be introduced which will only require the homeowner to submit an initial ‘Building Condition Assessment’ at minimal cost recoupable on entry to the Scheme.

The Housing Agency will take over testing, sampling and categorisation of remedial works.

- Alternative accommodation and storage costs are to be included, subject to a maximum of €20,000

- In relation to works carried out under remediation options 2-5, a second grant option, will be available for such a home in the future if blockwork which was not removed as part of the initial remediation work subsequently proves defective in accordance with the IS:465 standard

- A new independent appeals process will be introduced

- The Scheme will be extended beyond the current scope of Principal Private Residences only, to also cover Residential Tenancies Board registered rental properties, subject to the introduction of a clawback mechanism upon re-sale within a set time period depending on the remediation option used. Opportunities for the State to acquire such rental properties for social housing purposes will also be examined.

Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/.

The grant scheme covers up to 100% of the costs associated with the qualifying works deemed necessary for the remediation of the relevant dwelling (subject to cost per square foot and maximum expenditure limits), and includes the funding for alternative accommodation costs, subject to a maximum of €15,000, which addresses the issue of accommodation costs while the property is being remediated.  

Separately, as part of the enhanced measures announced with regard to the Defective Concrete Block grant scheme, work is continuing within my Department to progress implementation of the Government decision of the 30th November, 2021 to introduce a parallel grant process for local authority and approved housing body owned social homes impacted by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction.

Work is ongoing in my Department to bring forward the legislative requirements necessary to provide for the enhanced scheme. 

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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522. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if it is planned to accept defective block scheme applications for rental properties that were registered and payments that were backdated after 1 November 2021 in cases in which delays were encountered with the Residential Tenancies Board online registration process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1404/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on 30 November 2021 and it included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn.

The Scheme will be extended beyond the current scope of Principal Private Residences only, to also include rental properties, subject to; the property being registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) on 1 November 2021, a maximum of one rental property per household and a clawback mechanism if the property is sold within a set time period.

Work is ongoing in my Department to bring forward the legislative requirements necessary to provide for the enhanced scheme. The requisite proof regarding registration of properties with the RTB will be considered as part of that work.