Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the defects scheme for apartments and duplexes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11720/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I received Government approval on 18 January 2023 to draft legislation to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. This legislation will provide a statutory basis for the establishment of a remediation scheme aimed at protecting the safety and welfare of those living in apartments or duplexes with such defects.

The scheme will support the remediation of relevant defects, where practicable, to the standard that applied at the time of their original construction. Where this is not practicable, alternative approaches and options will be considered that provide a reasonable level of life safety protection. In this regard, a Code of Practice in the context of the Fire Services Acts, to provide guidance to relevant professionals, including guidance on interim safety measures, is currently being developed.

The scheme will be administered by The Housing Agency on a nationwide basis and an effective advice and information service within the Housing Agency is being established to support Owners' Management Companies and homeowners (who are also members of the Owners' Management Companies).

Work is underway to draft the required legislation which will include the scope, eligibility and conditions of the remediation scheme which will become operational following implementation of the required legislation.

Given that the overall potential scale and estimated cost of fixing the problem is so considerable, it will take many years to remediate all buildings affected. While I am working on the development of the scheme as a matter of priority, sufficient time is required to draft the legislation to ensure that the scheme is fit for purpose, provides value for tax payer’s money and contains appropriate oversight and governance measures.