Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 September 2026
78. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the evolving technical standard I.S.465:2026 will resolve anomalies faced by homeowners who are affected by defective concrete blocks who have timber-frame inner leafs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67420/26]
View answerThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 as amended by the Act of 2025 sets out the framework under which the Grant Scheme which provides grant funding to people whose homes have been affected by Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) operates.
A number of amendments contained in the 2025 Act came into operation on 25 February 2026 and more recently further provisions commenced on 27 May 2026.
The Scheme is underpinned by a national testing standard known as IS:465. The National Standards Authority Ireland (NSAI) on 2 June 2026 published a revised version of this standard-I.S. 465:2026.
Under the terms of the Scheme the Housing Agency act as agents on behalf of the local authorities. Once a home has met the damage threshold for entry to the scheme, the Housing Agency works with Chartered Engineers from an approved framework to help assess applications under the scheme and determines the appropriate remediation option and grant amount.
Noting the above, the specific circumstances outlined by the Deputy will be considered by the Housing Agency in determining the appropriate remediation option. As Minister, I have no function in relation to individual cases.
