Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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118. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government Government and Heritage if those undertaking remediation of their properties are accommodated under the defective block scheme in County Louth; if there is a redress scheme for those effected by mica/pyrite in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24295/24]

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 Grant Scheme is open to applications in four counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick and Mayo.

When a local authority that is not designated under the Scheme determines through the established mechanisms that homes within their functional area have been damaged by defective concrete blocks, they can seek to have the scheme extended to include any such county or part of such county.

Section 5 of the Act contains details on this process. This statutory designation process can commence upon a request by a local authority or by myself, as Minister, to the Housing Agency, and whereby the Agency thereafter carries out technical testing of dwellings in a given local authority administrative area. As soon as practicable after the completion of any testing, the Housing Agency shall make a recommendation to me whether an order to designate the whole or part of a local authority's administrative area should or should not be made by the Government.

I understand Louth County Council have been in contact with the Housing Agency as recently as last month but are yet to officially request the commencement of the process for inclusion under the grant scheme.