Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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362. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the calculation of rebuild rates for homes in County Clare affected by pyrite will be included in his Department’s assessment of a new defective block redress scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11418/22]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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363. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide clarity on projected costs of €2.2 billion for pyrite and mica redress schemes given that the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland report focussed on the north west, Mayo, Donegal, Sligo and Roscommon and omitted counties such as Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11419/22]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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364. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department, in conjunction with the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, has calculated the potential costs of pyrite redress in respect of properties in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11420/22]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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365. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide details relating to the process for determination, inspection and analysis of each of the properties in County Clare, suspected of having pyrite in their structure, that formed part of the Clare County Council submission to his Department in July 2021; if testing and analysis was completed in accordance with IS 465:2018+A1:2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11421/22]

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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369. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the pyrite remediation scheme will be extended to include affected properties in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11443/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 362, 363, 364, 365 and 369 together.

My Department received a submission from Clare County Council, dated 23 July 2021, requesting the extension of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme to County Clare. A response issued to the Council on 3 August 2021 indicating that my Department would review the submission and it also sought a detailed breakdown of costs associated with the Report. A breakdown of costs associated with the Report was received on 28 September 2021.

In order to progress matters a meeting was held on 9 November 2021 between officials from my Department and Clare County Council to review issues which required further elaboration in order to evidentially support an extension of the defective concrete blocks grant scheme to County Clare. My Department subsequently wrote to Clare County Council on the 6 December, 2021 outlining formally the nature of the clarifications required. Clare County Council undertook to review their submission and address the gaps in evidential data which had been identified by my Department.

My Department received a response with some clarifications from Clare County Council, dated 20 December 2021. It is accepted by Clare County Council in their correspondence of the 20 December that the causative link to actual damage arising from pyrite induced expansion has not been conclusively established in respect of the 5 homes tested to date.

On the 7 February 2022 officials from my Department met with officials from Clare County Council to progress matters. It was confirmed by Clare County Council that samples from five other properties are now being tested in accordance with the I.S. 465 protocol. If evidence of pyrite induced expansion is evident within the blockwork samples taken from these homes and the necessary causative link to the damage within the homes is established my Department should be in a position to recommend to Government that an extension of the scheme to Clare would be legislated for.

The extension of the scheme to other local authority areas was considered as part of wider deliberations on the Scheme by Government. 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.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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366. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason County Clare homeowners were omitted from meetings with his departmental officials that included pyrite and mica effected homeowners from counties Donegal and Mayo. [11422/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Defective Concrete Blocks Working Group which I established, was tasked with a review of issues of concern which had been raised by homeowners in respect of the Scheme, which applies to Mayo and Donegal only. Under the agreed Terms of Reference, one of the areas in scope for review was the issue of "Eligible Homes". This included, homes in the counties of Donegal and Mayo and the potential to extend the Scheme to homes in other local authority areas. Other interested parties sought admittance onto the Working Group but homeowners were restricted to those from counties within the Scheme.

It was considered that homeowners from Donegal and Mayo, who made up 50% of the working group, could adequately represent the views of homeowners who may be affected, regardless of their location. However, it was not the role or responsibility of these homeowner representatives to advocate on behalf of Clare specifically, for inclusion into the existing scheme.

My Department received a submission from Clare County Council, dated 23 July 2021, requesting the extension of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme to County Clare. A response issued to the Council on 3 August 2021 indicating that my Department would review the submission and it also sought a detailed breakdown of costs associated with the Report. A breakdown of costs associated with the Report was received on 28 September 2021.

In order to progress matters a meeting was held on 9 November 2021 between officials from my Department and Clare County Council to review issues which required further elaboration in order to evidentially support an extension of the defective concrete blocks grant scheme to County Clare. My Department subsequently wrote to Clare County Council on the 6 December, 2021 outlining formally the nature of the clarifications required. Clare County Council undertook to review their submission and address the gaps in evidential data which had been identified by my Department.

My Department received a response with some clarifications from Clare County Council, dated 20 December 2021. It is accepted by Clare County Council in their correspondence of the 20 December that the causative link to actual damage arising from pyrite induced expansion has not been conclusively established in respect of the 5 homes tested to date.

On the 7 February 2022 officials from my Department met with officials from Clare County Council to progress matters. It was confirmed by Clare County Council that samples from five other properties are now being tested in accordance with the I.S. 465 protocol. If evidence of pyrite induced expansion is evident within the blockwork samples taken from these homes and the necessary causative link to the damage within the homes is established, my Department should be in a position to recommend to Government that an extension of the scheme to Clare would be legislated for.