Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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505. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the interim fire safety remediation scheme; the data on the amount of funding which has been approved for each pathfinder project; the amount of work which has been drawn down; and whether fire safety remediation work has actually occurred. [57395/25]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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506. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the pathfinder projects for retrospective payment to owners management companies for building defects remediation work carried out and funded by the owners. [57396/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 and 506 together.

In December 2023, the then Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD announced the opening of the Interim Remediation Scheme (the Scheme) for Fire Safety Defects in Eligible Apartments and Duplexes. The Scheme provides for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works within the scope and defined parameters of the scheme in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings, pending completion of the full remedial works. Apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 with eligible defects qualify for the Scheme. Full remedial works, which will include all necessary fire safety measures as well as those related to water ingress and structural damage, will be funded under the statutory scheme that will be legislated for in 2025.

As of the end of September 2025, 217 applications to the Interim Remediation Scheme have been validated, having met the required eligibility criteria. These applications represent 19,891 residential units, with circa 76% in the Dublin region.

Four “pathfinder” projects within the Interim Remediation Scheme were identified in April 2024 to allow the mapping of the application and remediation process into simple steps, to identify pinch points and their solutions and to provide consistency across submissions by Competent Professionals (CP) and related Local Authority Fire Services (LAFS) workings.

Three pathfinder projects are located in the Dublin area involving three local authorities, and one in Kildare. These projects vary in size and complexity, providing valuable insights for both the interim and future statutory schemes, including:

• Resource Identification: identifying and allocating essential resources, such as personnel, required for subsequent projects to the interim and future full remediation schemes.
• Standardisation of Documents: establishing templates and standards for documents to be prepared by the CP, including procurement arrangements, proposals for fire safety assessments, fire safety risk assessments, interim measures remedial work plans, and other project-related paperwork. This standardisation streamlines processes, ensuring consistency across all Scheme projects, thereby reducing errors, and increasing efficiency.
• Learning and Improvement: presenting valuable opportunities for learning and development. All stakeholders can gather insights, lessons learned, and best practices during the engagement phase with the LAFS, which can then be applied to optimise subsequent projects to the interim and future full remediation schemes.

1. Application Submission: The Owners’ Management Company (OMC) submits an online application to The Housing Agency, including development details and contact information.
2. Confirmation of Validity: The Housing Agency validates the application, assigns a Case Number, and provides an Applicant Pack (Guidance Document) outlining next steps.
3. Defect Discovery and Planning Phase: The OMC engages a Competent Professional (CP) to assess fire safety issues and develop interim and full remediation plans, consults with Local Authority Fire Services (LAFS), and gathers cost estimates from Competent Builders (CBs) for interim works.
4. Submission for Funding: The OMC submits required documentation to The Housing Agency for an eligibility and provisional funding assessment.
5. Grant Agreement Issuance: Upon approval, The Housing Agency issues a Grant Agreement for the OMC’s review, acceptance, and signature.
6. Funding Confirmation: After receiving the signed Grant Agreement, The Housing Agency confirms funding approval and returns a countersigned copy, authorising the start of interim works.
7. Interim Works Initiation: The OMC begins onsite interim fire safety works under the CP’s supervision, per the Grant Agreement.
8. Completion Documentation: The OMC provides The Housing Agency with completion certificates and supporting documents for final review.

1. the establishment of a pathfinder exercise from a representative sample of multi-unit developments to identify and develop a potential appropriate process to address retrospective issues, based on fire safety remedial works completed;
2. the purpose of the pathfinder exercise is solely to inform a potential future scheme which will help identify a suitable process for funding of eligible works retrospectively; and
3. that the Minister will return to Government before any retrospective payments are made to update on the outcome from the pathfinder exercise including an estimate of costs for the retrospective aspects of the scheme, based on lessons learned from the pathfinder exercise.