Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I 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

The Enhanced Grant Scheme provided for the extension of the scheme to include dwellings damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks in its construction, in the administrative areas of Clare County Council and Limerick City and County Council.

The 2022 Act sets out the roles of both local authorities and the Housing Agency.

Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme. This includes the initial validation of applications, notifying homeowners of the Housing Agency's determinations on damage threshold, the appropriate remediation option and grant amount, determination of the grant payable for alternative accommodation and storage costs and immediate repair works and the subsequent payment of grants to successful applicants.

The Housing Agency act as agents on behalf of the local authorities under the Enhanced Grant Scheme. Applications received by a local authority are referred to the Housing Agency to review the 'Building Condition Assessment Report' and determine if the home has met the 'damage threshold' for entry to the scheme. Once a home has met the damage threshold for entry to the scheme, the Housing Agency engage its Framework Chartered Engineers to undertake the assessment, survey, sampling, testing and categorisation of the dwelling thereafter on a priority basis in accordance with the national standard I.S. 465:2018 and thereafter determine the appropriate remediation option and grant amount. In undertaking this work of assessing dwellings, a practical approach is taken where the Housing Agency prioritise dwellings on relative severity and impact of damage and proximity of dwellings to other affected properties in the form of a project group.

The Housing Agency have confirmed to my Department that twenty five applications submitted to Clare County Council across Q3 and Q4 of 2023 were inspected by the Housing Agency. The Housing Agency determined to Clare County Council all twenty five applications met the damage threshold and therefore approved for entry into the scheme. A Housing Agency project group consisting of the same twenty five applications has since completed the assessment, survey, and sampling stages with testing on twenty-two dwellings well advanced. The Housing Agency estimate appropriate remediation option and grant amount determinations will issue to Clare County Council on all twenty five applications across Q1 and Q2 of 2024.

There are no delays on the part of my Department or the Housing Agency in having houses in County Clare being approved for the remediation scheme.