Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 April 2025
477. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which a young family in County Kilkenny (details supplied) can be included in the Mica redress scheme; the way in which families not living in the areas included in the Mica redress scheme can be included if needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15359/25]
View answerThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023, which provides for the current grant scheme, and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.
The DCB grant scheme is open to applications from homeowners in five counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on my Department’s website at the following link:
https://www.gov.ie/en/service/8002e-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/?referrer=https://www.gov.ie/defectiveconcreteblocks/ .
When a local authority that is not designated under the Scheme determines through the established mechanisms that homes within their functional area have been damaged by defective concrete blocks, they can seek to have the scheme extended to include any such county or part of such county.
Section 5 of the Act contains details on this process. This statutory designation process can commence upon a request by a local authority or by myself, as Minister, to the Housing Agency. The Agency thereafter carries out technical testing of dwellings in a given local authority administrative area. As soon as practicable after the completion of any testing, the Housing Agency shall make a recommendation to me whether an order to designate the whole or part of a local authority's administrative area should or should not be made by the Government.
A homeowner in a local authority area that is not currently designated under the Scheme therefore should first make contact with their local authority. The local authority may then make a request to the Housing Agency. Upon a request from the local authority, officials in the Housing Agency will meet with the council to discuss the process and what is required under the Act.
