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 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 www.gov.ie/en/press-release/328d7-minister-obrien-welcomes-progress-on-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/.

The priority now is to ensure regulations, including those around the payment of ancillary grant applications as set out in Section 22 of the Act, which are necessary to provide for the finer details around which the new and enhanced scheme will operate are prepared and signed off as soon as possible.

Guidelines to facilitate, promote and support a consistent approach to the operation and administration of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme will also be drafted by my Department.

The aim and intention is to have the regulations and guidelines finalised before the end of the year with the scheme opening for applications as soon as possible thereafter, which I expect will only be a matter of weeks later.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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310. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on when fees for engineers will be returned to persons affected by defective blocks who have yet to receive this payment; if he has taken the impact that the rising costs have had on this cohort into consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49503/22]

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 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 www.gov.ie/en/press-release/328d7-minister-obrien-welcomes-progress-on-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/.

Pending commencement of the Act, applications can continue to be made to local authorities and processed under the current Defective Concrete Block grant scheme, underpinned by the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations, 2020 and the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

Regulation 5 of the 2022 Regulations waives the requirement for a Stage 1 confirmation of eligibility to be in place prior to recoupment of the cost of the engineer’s fees for homeowners whose applications were received by the local authority before the 24 February, 2022.

Regulation 8 (11) of 2020 Regulations requires that a homeowner must have received a Stage 1 confirmation of eligibility before the cost of the engineers fees for their I.S. 465 report can be recouped and continues to have effect in respect of applications received by the local authority on or after the 24 February, 2022.

My Department issued guidance to local authorities on 25 February 2022 requesting they make immediate arrangements for the recoupment of engineers fees to homeowners whose applications were received before the 24 February, 2022.

Existing applicants under the current grant scheme will not be disadvantaged from being early movers and will benefit retrospectively from the increased grant amounts and allowances which will be available under the enhanced scheme.

Section 11 of the Act provides for an increase or decrease in remediation and ancillary grant amounts. These amounts can be revised by Government order not more than once every 12 months. Three such orders can be made and thereafter a resolution of the Oireachtas will be required for the making a maximum of three further orders. The maximum overall increase in the overall grant cap which can be applied by the Minister in any single order is 10%.

As set out in Section 11 (6) of the Act, in making an order to increase or decrease, regard will be given to construction costs prevailing in the designated local authority areas and the economic circumstances of the State prevailing at the time of the making of the order.

The grant rates to apply will be prescribed in regulations which my Department are currently working on. The grant rates prescribed will be no less favourable than those recommended by SCSI in their cost report and will be sufficient to enable a homeowner to remediate their home.