2026-03-25

The defective concrete block issue is causing huge concern for those affected. The process is long, complicated and stressful. Those who have been approved but who have appealed that decision also find themselves in no man's land, with no information on how their appeal is being dealt with. In January I submitted a parliamentary question asking for the number of appeals made to date under the defective concrete blocks scheme, the number of appeals that had been heard by county and by year, and the current timeline for determination on appeals lodged. All of these would appear to be a reasonable ask of a body tasked to do this work. Nobody asked for personal details, just a breakdown of the work of the panel on a regular basis. The reply I received was not good, which is why we are here today. While I fully agree the appeals panel should be independent of the Minister, the Department and the Housing Agency, that does not mean they should not ask for and receive regular updates on the work being delivered. When elected Members such as me ask for that information, I should get it without any delay. The fact that I do not raises questions. I understand there were up to 180 appeals at the end of 2025, with a number of them coming from my county of Clare. Some of them have no idea as to when they will get a decision, which is disappointing. One family who were in touch with me lately are ready to start but can do nothing until their appeal is heard. They surely have a right to know when that will happen so they can make plans. It is in the interests of the people who have appeals in the system to have them dealt with as fast as possible. It is not too much to ask that they might have some guideline as to how long the appeal will take. It is also in the public interest to know that a body doing work on behalf of the State is held accountable for it. We cannot manage what we do not measure. If there is no obligation for the panel to provide such regular updates, then there is little hope this work will be delivered in a timely manner. I am not asking for a State secret to be shared. I would just like for the work of the panel, the number of appeals submitted and decided and the length of time taken to reach the decisions, which is important, to be published on a monthly or quarterly basis, as the affected householders deserve.

I thank Deputy Cooney for representing the people of his constituency in Clare who have been affected by this issue. I appreciate the issue of defective concrete blocks is particularly emotive for households and sympathise with all who are caught up in this distressing situation. The establishment of the appeals board was an important step in offering 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 chair of the panel and the rest of the panel members have undertaken to examine each case thoroughly. It should be noted that the appeals panel is statutorily independent in the performance of its functions of the senior Minister, Deputy Browne, the Department of housing and the Housing Agency. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides administrative support during the initial stage of the process, in that appeals submitted by homeowners are forwarded to the panel. Recently, in recognition of the challenges facing the panel, the Department provided additional funding for the engagement of a direct staffing resource to work directly with the appeals panel chair. I understand this is now beginning to pay dividends, as evidenced by the recent issue of determinations by the panel. The powers granted to the appeals panel are outlined in legislation under section 39(10) of the Act. The appeals panel may either affirm the decision that is the subject of the appeal, or annul it. In the case of an annulment, if the appeals board considers the Housing Agency has made a serious error in law or fact that amounts to a serious or significant error, it can direct the Housing Agency to reconsider its decision in accordance with such directions as the appeals board may consider appropriate, or replace the decision with such other decisions as it considers it appropriate to make in accordance with the Act. Like in any appeals process, there is a continued focus on the further roll-out of determinations. Importantly, in line with statutory commitments, the panel operates within the legislation. The chair and panel must be allowed to continue their work. There is no role under statute for the Minister, Deputy Browne, or me as Minister of State in this regard. We hope that continued engagement with appellants will take place with a view to properly assessing appeals so those who still suffer the awful weight of their experiences can be satisfied. We are aware of the urgency of this work and I recognise the vulnerability of a particular group of homeowners. It is an absolute priority for the Department. It is my understanding that in recent weeks a number of determinations have been issued to homeowners and I expect this process to continue to accelerate as the appeals panel continues its work. The main point is that we have to, at all points, respect the independence of the appeals board. It cannot be under any influence in any way, shape or form from the senior Minister or the Department. However, I take the Deputy's point. He is seeking pretty important and basic information in the specific details he has asked for. I will go back from this discussion to find out if we can get access to any of that information, as long as it does not unduly influence any of the decisions. I do not see why we cannot make that request and get some of the specific answers the Deputy looked for in his opening contribution.

I thank the Minister of State. I agree that we must respect the independent appeals board but it is important that people get the information, at least get updated information about what is happening in the appeals board. I am aware of householders who have been waiting almost 12 months and have heard nothing whatsoever. Their appeals went in. They were notified they were received but did not get any further information whatsoever. That is not good enough. These people are under enough stress at the moment without having this stress, with the cost of inflation. The cost of building materials is increasing and it is putting additional pressure on them. When they get the result of their appeals, they will have to get a contractor. There is a lot of work to be done going forward and they are concerned about the costs and whether they will be able to afford to rebuild or redevelop their house, as the case may be. There is also a serious concern about the technical review that is going on at the moment. When will that be published? That could also be holding up these appeals. Will the Minister of State give the House an update on when the outcome of the technical review will be published? Also there are a number of people living in houses in social housing schemes, which are unfortunately badly affected. Is there an update on a scheme to carry out work on those houses going forward? We have a serious issue on our hands. Unfortunately, in the time of a housing crisis, it is putting a lot of pressure on families and it is time for more action and to try to get these families confident going forward.

It is my understanding that the appeals panel is aware of the understandable desire of applicants to have their cases dealt with in as expeditious a manner as possible. The time taken to assess appeals has in many cases been longer than originally envisaged. We have to accept that. However, I understand some of the time taken to consider applications and issue decisions has been taken up by requests for further information, either from appellants or other stakeholders. I am informed the panel has taken this approach to allow appellants to have the full facts of their situations properly assessed. A corollary of this inclusive and holistic approach is that it has added time to the overall process. The programme for Government commits to undertaking the planned review of the defective concrete blocks scheme. This refers to the fact that the legislation mandates the Minister to review the scheme within three years of the Act's commencement and the appeals process will form part of this review. The Deputy asked for the specific time it will be published and I will get that information for him. Key here is that we have to keep that independence but time and the access to information are the major issues the Deputy is addressing. We have already given the panel additional resources to get appeals decisions out in a more timely manner. Requests for further information can sometimes take a bit of time with the back and forth. I am sure the people the Deputy represents are so anxious to get their decisions that they will get information to the appeals board as quickly as possible. I do not think there is an issue with that. If it is the case we need to resource the board further, we will look at that. I assure the Deputy I will come back to him on his specific question about the technical review with a specific time. There will be officials listening to this response and they will issue him with information about when it might be expected.