Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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209. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will ensure that the review of IS 465 that is currently being carried out by the National Standards Authority of Ireland and its expert panel will correspond with the opening of the remediation of dwellings damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks scheme. [44462/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireacthas and was subsequently signed into law by the President on the 23 July, 2022.

The purpose of this Act is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the scheme as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. Full details can be found at .

Arising from the Government Decision in November 2021, the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) was tasked with, inter alia, a review of I.S. 465:2018+A1:2020 - Assessment, testing and categorisation of damaged buildings incorporating concrete blocks containing certain deleterious materialsand its application. NSAI does not operate under the auspices of my Department. It is an autonomous body under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, and as such detail on its programme of work is a matter for the NSAI.

An interagency Defective Concrete Blocks – Technical Matters Steering Group has been established to support and inform the NSAI Standardisation Programme in relation to technical issues. The steering group includes representatives from NSAI, Geological Survey Ireland, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and representatives from my Department.

The NSAI have been asked to review I.S. 465 and carry out all necessary research as a matter of priority. This will take time however and it would not be appropriate to delay introduction of the enhanced scheme in order that its launch would correspond with the completion of the important work which the NSAI are carrying out. I am keen to ensure that the significant enhancements contained in the new scheme are made available to homeowners who have not yet applied under the current scheme and that those enhancements can also be retrospectively applied to existing grant applicants as soon as possible.