Written answers
Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Defective Building Materials
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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256. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of applications for the defective block grant scheme in counties Donegal and Mayo; the number of applications pending; the average length of applications pending in each county; the number of applications approved; the average grant amount approved; the number of grants drawn down to date; and the average amount drawn down, by county, in tabular form. [45406/22]
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 Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President.
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 www.gov.ie/en/press-release/328d7-minister-obrien-welcomes-progress-on-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/.
The table below sets out the number of applications received by Mayo County Council (as at 05/09/22) and Donegal County Council (as at 22/08/22) under the current scheme and the numbers that have progressed to Stage 1 and Stage 2 approval.
| - | Mayo County Council | Donegal County Council | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Applications Received | 247 | 947 | 1194 |
| Stage 1 Applications Being Processed | 8 | 574 | 582 |
| Stage 1 Approvals (confirmation of eligibility) | 236 | 372 | 608 |
| Stage 2 Applications Received | 42 | 102 | 144 |
| Stage 2 Applications Being Processed | 8 | 44 | 52 |
| Stage 2 Approvals (grant approved) | 34 | 58 | 92 |
| No. of Stage Payments drawn down by applicants | 19 | 88 | 107 |
| Average value of Stage Payments Made | €59,654 | €39,069 | |
| No. of Engineers Fees Paid to Applicants | 219 | 657 | 876 |
| Average payment to Applicant for Engineers Fees | €6,127 | €5,098 |
The average grant amount approved is €221,869. In the region of 983 payments have been made to applicants to date including engineers fees and stage payments.
Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. This includes the assessment of applications for eligibility and payment of grants to successful applicants under the specific remediation option approved.
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