Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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547. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on legislation to allow for retrospective payments under the defective concrete blocks scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51271/25]

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 current grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.

Government approval was granted for the priority drafting of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill which will contain details of the wider group of relevant owners that can avail of increases in the grant scheme cap and rates approved in October and November 2024 along with a number of technical amendments. This legislation is being progressed as expeditiously as possible and the Bill is included in the Autumn 2025 Government Legislation Programme for Priority Publication.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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548. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of appeals made under the remediation of dwellings damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks grant scheme have been processed to completion in 2025; the number of appeals which remain active; the average turn-around time of appeals nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51272/25]

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) was commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.

An Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete (DCB) Blocks Grant Scheme. The Panel offers those affected by decisions made by the Housing Agency and Local Authorities an opportunity to have their cases assessed by an independent group of industry experts.

The points of appeal that are available to a DCB applicant include the validation stage by the local authority, the damage threshold determination made by the Housing Agency, the remediation option, and the grant amount approved and where a local authority refuse to make a grant payment pursuant to grant approval.

The Panel will review the merits of each individual case and consider all details free from any undue influence or restrictions. At the time of writing 176 appeals have been received from homeowners.

It should be noted that the Appeals Panel is statutorily independent in the performance of their functions of myself as Minister, my Department and of the Housing Agency. My Department provides limited administrative support during the initial stage of the process, in that appeals submitted by homeowners are forwarded to the Panel.

However, I understand that the Panel is in the process of assessing appeals and the Chair of the Appeals Panel has begun to issue notifications to appellants.