Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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18. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide an update on engagements he has had with the engineering sector with respect to certification of specific options under the defective concrete block scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54174/23]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As you are aware Minister O'Brien commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.

In March 2023 Engineers Ireland engaged with officials in my Department regarding the certification of specific options under the Enhanced DCB Grant Scheme. My Department confirmed the 2022 Act provides for a letter of assurance to be issued by the designated local authority, which attaches to a dwelling and confers an entitlement to apply for a second grant under the scheme in respect of that dwelling in specific circumstances. This letter of assurance does not apply where the initial remediation option was ‘Option 1’ (i.e. the demolition of the relevant dwelling and the reconstruction of the dwelling). - It only relates to remediation works carried out under Options 2 to 5 and specifically applies where the relevant dwelling has been damaged by defective concrete blocks retained in the relevant dwelling i.e. blocks that were not removed in the first remediation works.

I am not aware of any specific outstanding issues with the industry. However, my Department remains fully committed to continuing to engage with a broad array of stakeholders in relation to the scheme.