Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 January 2025
727. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide further details on multi-unit development remediation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46656/24]
View answerOn 18 January 2023 Government approved the principle of allowing remediation costs already incurred or levied to be covered under a Legacy Defects Scheme.
On 18 September 2024 the Minister received government approval for the priority drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024. This legislation will underpin the forthcoming statutory scheme which will establish 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.
Head 17 of this Bill provides for retrospection, meaning the provision of financial support where a remediation project has been initiated but not completed, or where a remediation project has been completed.
However, devising a process and associated safeguards specific to grant retrospection will be challenging. In order to identify a potential appropriate process to address retrospective issues, the Government agreed on 22 October 2024 to establish a Retrospective Costs Pathfinder Exercise. This will inform design of the retrospective element of the scheme and will support development of a robust process around:
• Alignment with existing Interim Remediation Scheme processes;
• Supporting Documentation and Timeframes;
• Certification and Standardisation of Evidence;
• Verification and Payment processes.
The exercise should also inform the drafting of the statutory scheme.
As the current Interim Remediation Scheme is being administered on behalf of my Department by The Housing Agency, my Department does not hold details of individual applications to the Scheme. The Housing Agency can be contacted directly via the email address: Oireachtas@housingagency.ie or an update on a specific application.
