Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2026
265. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when OMCs that have applied for payment under the interim fire safety scheme will receive funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27683/26]
View answer266. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a compensation scheme for OMCs with apartment defects will be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27684/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 266 together.
Government approval was received on 18 September 2024 for the priority drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill. The purpose of this legislation is to place the defects remediation Scheme on a statutory footing, further to commitments contained in the Programme for Government and Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 - 2030.
The Scheme will provide 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. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded under the Scheme.
The General Scheme of the Bill has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny during the Dáil autumn term 2025 and I received the report from the Joint Oireachtas Committee in January.
An Interim Remediation Scheme (Scheme) has been in place since December 2023, to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings pending introduction of the Statutory Scheme and completion of the full remedial works. The Scheme is for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013. The Scheme is being administered by the Housing Agency on a nationwide basis. Applications can be made via the Housing Agency’s website at www.housingagency.ie
As of the end of March 2026, 256 applications to the Interim Remediation Scheme have been validated, having met the required eligibility criteria. These applications represent 22,212 residential units, with circa 74% in the Dublin region.
Three of the four pathfinder projects have been approved for funding, in the amount of €21.3million and remediation works have commenced at one project location. Payments in the amount of €3million have been made to date. Payments will continue to be made for remediation works, where commenced and certified.
In February 2026, the Government announced significant changes to the Scheme.
These changes will simplify procurement and cut through administrative hurdles, allowing works relating to fire detection and alarm systems to be completed more quickly while ensuring residents can remain safely in their homes until full building remediation is finished. The remediation process will prioritise the installation of fire detection and alarm systems ahead of full building remedial works which will follow under the upcoming statutory scheme.
