Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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86. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he expects the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024 to be passed and open for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2571/26]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Government approval was received on 18 September 2024 for the priority drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill. The purpose of this legislation is to place the defects remediation Scheme on a statutory footing, further to commitments contained in the Programme for Government and Housing for All.

The Scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded under the Scheme.

The General Scheme of the Bill completed pre-legislative scrutiny in December 2025 and I expect the legislation to be placed before the Oireachtas this year.

Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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87. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of appeals made to date under the remediation of dwellings damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks scheme; the number of appeals that have been heard by county, by year, in tabular form; and the current timeline for a determination of appeals lodged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2572/26]

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 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.

To date, 180 appeals have been received from homeowners. A breakdown showing appeals received from relevant owners, by designated local authority, is available in the table below:

However, I understand that the Panel is in the process of assessing appeals and that decisions have begun to issue to appellants.