Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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138. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider constructing modular housing at locations across counties Donegal and Mayo to assist defective block homeowners who have to demolish their existing homes and source temporary alternative accommodation in the years ahead. [6113/23]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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167. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will task and resource the Housing Agency and-or Donegal County Council to oversee the construction of modular housing at locations across counties Donegal and Mayo to assist defective block homeowners who have to demolish their existing homes and source temporary alternative accommodation in the years ahead. [6121/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 167 together.

The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme, as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. The administrative areas of the following counties have been designated by the Act for the purposes of the enhanced grant scheme: Clare County Council; Donegal County Council; Limerick City and County Council; Mayo County Council.

The 2022 Act will be commenced once the related Regulations have been finalised. Draft Regulations have been prepared, which will be the subject of consultation with key stakeholders before the Regulation are finalised and adopted in early 2023. It is intended that the consultation with key stakeholders, which will be conducted by the appointed Homeowners’ Liaison Officer, will commence this week.

The Regulations will provide for detailed matters within the 2022 Act which are to be prescribed, for example the grant rates, the damage threshold, and the form and content of various reports, certificates, forms, and declarations.  Grant rates, to be included in the final Regulations, will be based upon updated regional construction costs for 2023 to be provided by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.

The enhanced (and current) Defective Concrete Block Grant Schemes are remediation grant schemes of last resort, put in place by Government in order to voluntarily assist homeowners to remediate damage caused by the use of defective concrete blocks

Under the Enhanced Grant Scheme, temporary alternative accommodation for defective concrete block homeowners is addressed, whereby vouched accommodation costs are an allowable cost within the scheme, subject to a maximum of €15,000 per household in the event that the applicant has to move out when remediation works are ongoing. Removal of contents/house components and their temporary storage and reinstatement on completion are also an allowable cost, subject to a maximum of €5,000.

My Department has published a comprehensive “Your Questions Answered” to ensure homeowners have the most up to date information available to them. It can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/775c0-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme-your-questions-answered/