Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he intends to introduce legislation to retrospectively apply the latest SCSI square meter costs to house recipients of the defective concrete block grant who have already received grant offers under the earlier and lower SCSI cost estimates. [42860/24]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Minister O'Brien received Government approval on 8 October 2024 to increase the overall grant scheme cap and grants rates that are set out in the 2023 Regulations.

The Government made the Order to increase the overall scheme cap on 22 October 2024- this will mean that the total grant funding available under the scheme will rise by 10% to €462,000. Minister O'Brien will very shortly amend the relevant Scheme Regulations to give effect to the rate increases which will benefit all homeowners in the Scheme by between 7 and 9% depending on dwelling type and location.

The 2022 Act provides that any change in the scheme cap or grant rates will apply to eligible relevant owners that are yet to receive a determination in respect of remediation option and grant amount.

In the interest of equity and fairness, and given the passage of a number of months since the review process began, Minister O'Brien has decided that the application of any change in the overall scheme cap and grant rates should apply retrospectively.

Minister O'Brien will shortly bring a proposal to Government to ensure that the increases can be applied retrospectively. This will be a once-off transitional measure which Minister O'Brien believes is an equitable approach that is in keeping with the intention of the Oireachtas when the Act was passed by the Oireachtas in 2022.