Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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286. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a homeowner who withdraws from the statutory appeals process under the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme thereby loses their statutory right of appeal permanently; and, if not, the provisions that exist for a subsequent appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53265/25]

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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287. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a homeowner whose appeal under the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme is unsuccessful may subsequently apply for a full technical review of their application by the Housing Agency; under what legislative or administrative basis such a review would be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53266/25]

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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288. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the legal standing of the technical review mechanism announced in November 2024; if it will be placed on a statutory footing with a turnaround timeline; the means by which it is intended to interact with the statutory appeals process provided under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53267/25]

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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289. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he accepts that in the current absence of statutory clarity on the interaction between appeals and technical reviews under the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme, homeowners risk making life-changing decisions without knowing the consequences; if he will urgently provide definitive guidance to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53268/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 to 289, inclusive, together.

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.

The 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.

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.

A homeowner can withdraw an appeal they have previously submitted to the Appeals Panel, and submit a revised appeal. The form and manner in which an appeal may be withdrawn is a matter under the Act for the Appeals Panel in the first instance.

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) have been 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.

The National Standards Authority Ireland (NSAI) has been tasked with the review of the technical standard- I.S. 465:2018- that underpins the DCB Grant Scheme. The public consultation period finished on 11 July 2025 and the NSAI will finalise its review and publish the revised standard. This milestone follows on from the Government Decision of November 2021 and funding by the state into the required research for the NSAI to undertake its work on revising the standard. As Minister, I am obliged 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.

Government approval was granted for the priority drafting of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill. Along with details of the wider group of relevant owners that can avail increases in the grant scheme cap and rates approved in October and November 2024 the Bill will also include a number of technical amendments. It will include an amendment to allow the Housing Agency, upon request of an applicant to the designated local authority, to carry out a review of previous remediation option and grant amount determination based on the provisions of the revised standard upon its publication. The precise details of this provision are in the process of being finalised but the right to appeal any decision made under this process will certainly be given to homeowner applicants. This legislation is being progressed as expeditiously as possible and the Bill is included in the Autumn 2025 Government Legislation Programme for Priority Publication.