Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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473. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider extending the defective concrete blocks grant scheme to include additional counties, such as Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56930/25]

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.

The scheme is now open to applications in five counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/8002e-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/.

When a local authority that is not designated under the Scheme determines through the established mechanisms that homes within their functional area have been damaged by defective concrete blocks, they can seek to have the scheme extended to include any such county or part of such county.

Section 5 of the Act contains details on this process. This statutory designation process can commence upon a request by a local authority or by myself, as Minister, to the Housing Agency. The Agency thereafter carries out technical testing of dwellings in a given local authority administrative area. As soon as practicable after the completion of any testing, the Housing Agency shall make a recommendation to me whether an order to designate the whole or part of a local authority's administrative area should or should not be made by the Government.

I understand that Louth County Council, in accordance with Section 5(7) of the Act, were in contact with the Housing Agency on 25 April, 2024 stating they would be writing to the Housing Agency regarding three properties potentially affected by defective concrete blocks. I understand there has been some engagement on this matter between Louth County Council and the Housing Agency in February 2025 but that as of yet, no formal request has been made to the Agency for inclusion in the Scheme.