Questions

991. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the legal and policy basis on which his Department considers it reasonable and proportionate to allow homeowners to remain in dwellings subject to partial remediation, exposed to known structural risk, progressive property deterioration, and significant financial burden, pending a revision of I.S. 465 and the option of a…

992. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to protect the physical safety and health of homeowners currently living in unsafe properties subject to partial remediation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57759/25]

994. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the means by which his Department's continuation of partial remediation complies with its statutory, constitutional and public law obligations, including the duty to act reasonably, proportionately and in the public interest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57761/25]

995. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being taken to ensure that the voices and experiences of homeowners affected by defective concrete are adequately represented and reflected in the drafting of proposed legislative amendments to the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, including any formal consultation, submissions or engagement processes; the means …

996. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of the proposed legislative amendments to the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, including whether these amendments will recognise that all homeowners affected by defective concrete are in a vulnerable position, thus include provisions to allow for side-by-side remediation or rebuilding where possible, in or…

491. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure that his relevant Department officials participate in the Multi- Stakeholder Working Group including representative groups (details supplied) established to address the range of problems affecting victims of the defective concrete block crisis, given the need to restore a normal and functioning housing market in t…

286. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a homeowner who withdraws from the statutory appeals process under the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme thereby loses their statutory right of appeal permanently; and, if not, the provisions that exist for a subsequent appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53265/25]

287. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a homeowner whose appeal under the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme is unsuccessful may subsequently apply for a full technical review of their application by the Housing Agency; under what legislative or administrative basis such a review would be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53266/25]

288. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the legal standing of the technical review mechanism announced in November 2024; if it will be placed on a statutory footing with a turnaround timeline; the means by which it is intended to interact with the statutory appeals process provided under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 202…

289. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he accepts that in the current absence of statutory clarity on the interaction between appeals and technical reviews under the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme, homeowners risk making life-changing decisions without knowing the consequences; if he will urgently provide definitive guidance to address this; and if he will…

307. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of transitional applications that remain to be processed by the Housing Agency arising from the transfer of applications from the original defective concrete blocks grant scheme to the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53666/25]

308. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the defective concrete blocks social homes scheme intended to provide remediation for local authority and approved housing body-owned dwellings; if he will clarify when this scheme has been formally implemented in Donegal; the timelines envisaged for its roll-out; the means by which applications will be triaged for re…

90. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason there has been no formal request to the SCSI for an update to the report on construction costs for the enhanced defective concrete block scheme; to provide a timeline for when such a request might be expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52259/25]

502. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for the ongoing delay in processing appeals under the enhanced defective concrete block scheme; the current status of appeals; the definitive timeline for issuing decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33837/25]

504. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for the ongoing delay in providing clarification to the residents of Elm Park, Buncrana under the enhanced defective concrete block scheme; the definitive timeline for issuing decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33840/25]

511. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of an appeal by persons (details supplied) under the enhanced defective concrete block scheme to be judged on its own merits under section 39 of the Act Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33879/25]

396. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Government bodies have been to Wexford and tested a number of properties for defective concrete, over a year ago, yet test results have not been made available; and when the results will be available to homeowners in Wexford. [28808/25]

558. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the status of a refund of fees under the defective concrete blocks scheme on the home of a deceased applicant (details supplied); and if he is aware of the ongoing distress and legal complications caused by the delay, despite assurances in January 2023 that the refund would be issued; and when this r…

254. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current position of the letter of assurance/ guarantee for those who have completed works under the defective concrete blocks scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22277/25]

429. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is considering retrospective adjustments for early applicants under the enhanced defective concrete block scheme who met the grant cap whose engineering fees were deducted from the €420,000 cap; the measures being taken to insure that early movers are not penalised as previously stated by the then Minister for Hou…

173. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the text for the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8214/25]

174. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if retrospective payments for homeowners will be included in the remediation of dwellings damaged under the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8217/25]

233. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Housing Agency records the internal dimensions of rooms only and does not consider the areas occupied by internal partition walls under the enhanced defective concrete block scheme; if the entire floor area including floor area occupied by internal walls should be calculated for grant allocation; and if he will make a statem…

438. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the increased rates and cap under the defective concrete blocks scheme will be applied retrospectively to homeowners who have already completed their rebuild or remediation works before the relevant legislation is passed; if not, the rationale for this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5832/25]

65. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the way the OPW ensures that buildings they are responsible for are using blocks that are free from deleterious materials in construction projects in County Donegal; if they have checked existing buildings for the presence of same. [6116/25]