Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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37. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to address the shortcomings of the enhanced defective block grant scheme which continue to have a significant impact on those affected by the defective block crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12538/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the current grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.

In October 2024 the Scheme Cap was increased by 10% to €462,000 and an increase in the scheme rates of between 7.4% and 8.7% was approved on 7 November, 2024.

In November 2024 following the receipt of preliminary results from scientific research in Donegal my Department announced changes to the way the scheme works for certain homeowners. All homeowners who have been given a non-demolition option (options 2 to 5) will now be offered a choice of continuing with the work on their dwelling under the option determined or the option of a full technical review of their application by the Housing Agency. This review will be informed by the current research once the full review of the national standard (I.S. 465:2018) is complete.

As Ireland’s official Standards Body, the National Standards Authority Ireland (NSAI) has been tasked with the review of I.S. 465. I understand that the NSAI intend to go out to public consultation on a revised standard shortly and that this will help to inform the completion of the review process as soon as is practicable thereafter in line with the normal procedures followed by the Authority.

Furthermore, under section 51 of the Act, I am required, as Minister, to commence a review of the operation of the Act within three months of the completion of any review of I.S. 465:2018 by the NSAI. A report to each House of the Oireachtas of the findings and conclusions resulting from that review is required not later than three months after the completion of the review.