Questions

1115. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current status of the retrospective defective concrete blocks scheme; the timeline for the final approval and full sign off of the scheme; the steps being taken to ensure that once approval is granted funding will be made available without delay; whether the relevant teams administering the scheme are fully resourced and pre…

1116. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will review the provision within the defective concrete blocks scheme that limits eligibility in respect of rental properties where the dwelling has been rented for more than 20 years; whether he accepts that this provision may exclude homeowners whose properties were rented for periods but are still affected by defec…

1117. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the rule within the defective concrete blocks scheme that restricts applicants to eligibility in respect of one rental property only; whether his Department has examined the impact of this restriction on families who may own more than one affected property due to inheritance or family circumstances; whether con…

1118. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the damage threshold criteria within the defective concrete blocks scheme; whether consideration is being given to basing eligibility primarily on certified engineering testing and professional assessment rather than fixed damage thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20508/26]

1135. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the progress of the drafting and publication of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024, in light of the recent publication of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage's report on pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme; his response to the recommendations contained in …

159. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will request that the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, SCSI, draft a follow-up report on construction costs for the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, considering that the last one was almost two years ago and costs have considerably increased in that period. [17183/26]

163. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will advance the plans to relocate the families at a location (details supplied), living in defective concrete block homes, away from the dangerous flood plain they were built on. [17184/26]

225. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the operation of the interim fire safety defects remediation scheme. [17589/26]

403. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the retrospective defective concrete blocks scheme; the timeline for full sign off, assurances that once signed off, funding will be made available without delay; to ensure commitment that the team are resourced and ready to process payments the moment approval is in place; and if he will make a statement on the matte…

608. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the defective concrete blocks grant scheme complies with the State’s current building regulations and the EU’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in that the defective concrete blocks grant scheme only adheres to the 2007 Building Regulations for the purposes of eligible costs, incentivising…

616. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which he can assist older people who are eligible for the defective concrete block grant scheme but who are unable to uproot at this advanced stage of their lives; if he will consider allowing them to transfer their eligibility on to a beneficiary in their will, or to a purchaser who has paid the fair market pri…

399. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the recent confirmation that homes in Dublin Fingal west are now to be included in the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the reason repeated representations, clear timelines and confirmed funding arrangements have not been provided to affected homeowners; when precisely applications from Dublin Fingal west will be …

156. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when homeowners who have spent money since March 2024 under the defective concrete block grant scheme will be reimbursed up to the new maximum cap, following the passing of recent legislation. [15384/26]

157. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to situations where property sales cannot be completed in estates where the owners’ management company is no longer active or compliant and no letter of intent can yet be provided for the future remediation of the local developer-provided wastewater infrastructure; the measures his Department is tak…

626. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a person (details supplied) will have funds repaid to him for works carried out to his apartment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15041/26]

649. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has obtained legal advice to support the position that complaints concerning the administration, delay, procedures, resourcing or transparency of the Defective Concrete Blocks Appeals Panel fall outside the remit of the Office of the Ombudsman by virtue of the panel being described as independent; if so, the legal basis …

650. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether it is the position of his Department that homeowners affected by defective concrete blocks have no external or independent complaints or oversight mechanism available to them in respect of delay, maladministration or procedural unfairness in the appeals process; if so, the way in which this position is compatible with princ…

651. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role of his Department in determining or influencing the operation of the Defective Concrete Blocks Appeals Panel, including its terms of reference, appointment process, funding, staffing levels, procedures and timelines; whether, in view of this role, he accepts that the administration and operation of the panel must remain su…

683. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the fire safety remediation scheme will be put on a statutory footing; when residents who are living in a location (details supplied) can expect to ultimately get refunds for their contributions to ensuring works go ahead in advance of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14836/26]

397. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will request an update from the DCB Appeals Panel to provide the number of appeals made to 31 January 2026; the numbers of decisions made; the average waiting time for those decisions, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13476/26]

400. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if can provide an update on the inclusion of homes in Skerries and Rush in the defective blocks scheme; the timeline for the application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13612/26]

826. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has assessed the number of homeowners nationally who remediated defective concrete block damage at their own expense prior to the introduction of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, in circumstances where no State support was available; and if so, to provide details of that assessment; and if he will make a stat…

827. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out any costing in relation to providing retrospective or partial financial support to homeowners who undertook verified remediation works in good faith before the establishment of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, and if so, to provide details if his Department has carried out any costing in relat…

828. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he accepts that the current operation of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme results in unequal treatment between homeowners who remediated defective concrete block damage prior to the scheme and those who did not, despite comparable levels of structural damage, and if not, to outline the basis for this position; and if he will…

829. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the consideration given by his Department to recognising documented historic remediation works, including engineering reports and contractor invoices, for the purposes of eligibility or financial support under the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12879/26]