Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme was informed by the report of an Expert Panel which was published in 2017 which involved extensive research, investigations and analysis. Any consideration of extension to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grants Scheme would, in the first instance, require the relevant local authority to conduct the same rigorous analysis as that carried out in Donegal and Mayo.

Where an extension of the scheme is being sought by a local authority they must take the lead in demonstrating that the purported issues are in fact due to the presence of excessive amounts of deleterious materials (mica or pyrite) in the aggregate used to manufacture the concrete blocks as set out in the I.S.465 protocol, and secondly to quantify the extent of the problem in the area. This would provide the evidential basis necessary for the consideration of any extension of the scheme and would be of assistance to my Department in its deliberations.

Preliminary discussions have taken place between officials in my Department and Limerick City and County Council on the matter. The Council is currently working on putting together the necessary submission.

An extension of the Scheme to other local authority areas was considered as part of wider deliberations on the Scheme by Government. To that end, on 30 November 2021, I announced significant enhancements to the existing Scheme. Included as part of these improvements, I as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, may, with Government approval, extend the scheme beyond the counties of Donegal and Mayo to additional counties, where the evidence supports such an extension.