Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will ensure that the relevant officials in his Department will view the recording of the recent European Parliament webinar on the impact on family homes of defective concrete products organised by two affected homeowners from County Donegal and academics (details supplied); and if those officials will act on the international expert findings from that webinar when overseeing the current review of IS 465 of 2018. [17097/22]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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46. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will identify the experts who are currently reviewing IS 465 of 2018 in conjunction with the National Standards Authority of Ireland; if this review will seek the input of the Irish and international experts who presented at the recent European Parliament webinar, the impact on family homes of defective concrete products organised by two affected homeowners from County Donegal and academics (details supplied). [17098/22]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will ensure that the current review of IS 465 of 2018 by the National Standards Authority of Ireland will widen the scope of the standard and protocol to detect all deleterious minerals including pyrrhotite in the concrete blocks and foundations of affected homes in line with best international practice. [17099/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 to 47, inclusive, together.

I brought a Memorandum on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme to Government on the 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.

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/

Following the Government decision on the enhanced scheme, officials from my Department met to discuss the terms of reference for further engagement on the issue of IS 465: 2018 which can be used to assess and categorise the damage in properties where the concrete blocks are suspected to contain mica or pyrite.

A steering group, NSAI Standardisation Program - Mansory Construction, has now been established to oversee a review of certain standards. Part of its work is to examine the current IS465 standard and its application and the standard for concrete blocks (including aggregates). The group includes representatives from the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) and representatives from my Department. As part of this review it will also consider any necessary liaison with the EU Commission and or CEN in respect of the harmonised European Standards and any changes that may be required on foot of this program of work. The NSAI do not operate under the auspices of my Department and are under the auspices of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.