Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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762. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to put in place a defective concrete blocks grant scheme for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29227/25]

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

The Act also provides for the Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Social Homes Scheme. This is a scheme for the purpose of enabling a designated local authority or an Approved Housing Body (AHB) with dwellings located in a designated local authority area to remedy damage caused to dwellings, owned by the local authority/AHB, by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction.

Section 36 of the Act provides that social homes will receive the same remediation options as those covered under the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme for private housing, and the same grant cap, grant rates and damage threshold requirements, along with access to ancillary grants.

A draft Scheme has been prepared by my Department and is being considered. It is my intention to bring proposals to Government in the near future.